Making It in Public Relations

MAKING IT IN
PUBLIC RELATIONS
M A K I N G
I T
I N
Public
Relations
AN INSIDERS GUIDE TO
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
SECOND EDITION
Leonard Mogel
2002
LAWRENCE ERLBAUM ASSOCIATES, PUBLISHERS

Mahwah, New Jersey
London
Acquisitions Editor:
Linda Bathgate
Editorial Assistant:
Karin Bates
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Kathryn Houghtaling Lacey
Textbook Production Manager: Paul Smolenski
Full-Service Compositor:
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This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2008.

To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledges
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c 2002 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Copyright
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in
any form, by photostat, microlm, retrieval system, or any
other means, without prior written permission of the publisher.
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers
10 Industrial Avenue
Mahwah, New Jersey 07430
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Mogel, Leonard.
Making it in public relations : an insiders guide to career
opportunities / Leonard Mogel.2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8058-4021-4 (case : alk. paper)ISBN 0-8058-4022-2 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Public relationsUnited States. 2. Public relations. I. Title.
HM1221 .M64 2002
659.2
2001051226
ISBN 1-4106-0285-0 Master e-book ISBN
At rst it was, Do we need to write another book? But then

once we were into it, she thrust herself into every
stepthinking, editing, organizing, correcting misjudgments,
nding just the right word to clarify a concept.
Her friendship and love guided the daily enterprise. This
book is dedicated to Ann Mogel. It is as much hers as mine.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We met Linda Bathgate of Erlbaum Associates at an Association

for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication convention
in Phoenix, and it didnt take more than a few weeks for Linda to
convince her associates that they should publish a second edition of
Making It in Public Relations. I am indebted to Linda for her professional excellence, guidance, and intelligent advice.
My special appreciation to Janice Handler of TechBooks for her
consummate supervision of the copyediting and nal stages of the
books preparation.
Thanks to Peter Pitts of Wired World for his contribution to the
book.
I may miss a few names but my sincere gratitude for splendid
cooperation goes to Erin Rice-Mills, Liza Olsen, and Mischelle Leathers of Burson-Marsteller; Mike Lynch of the American Medical
Association; Howard J. Rubenstein of Howard J. Rubenstein Associates; Catherine A. Bolton, president and chief operating ofcer of
PRSA; John Bomier, Maggi Heffler, and Kimberly Baldwin of the
Public Relations Society of America; Fraser P. Seitel, editor of
PRSAs STRATEGIST, and John Elsasser, editor of PRSAs TACTICS;
vii
viii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Richard W. Edelman, Dana Grossman, Mark Bennett, and Barbie

Casasus of Edelman Public Relations Worldwide; Charles Fremes and
Johanne Papa of Edelman Public Relations (Canada); Jack Bergen and
Sarah Drennan of the Council of Public Relations Firms; Juliette Don
of the Bank of America; Jim Sinkinson of Bulldog Reporter; Rick
Kaufman of the Jefferson County Public Schools, Golden, Colorado;
Steve Stromp of Bernard Haldane Associates; Hilary Phillips of
Washington Post/Newsweek Interactive; Douglas G. Pinkham and
Wes Pedersen of the Public Affairs Council; Steven Style of the Steven
Style Group; Suzanne Laurita and Samantha Fearn of Hill &
Knowlton; Charles Francis of IdeaBank, Inc.; Derek Creevey of Ogilvy
Public Relations; John Figurski of PRWEEK; Michael Guiney of
Weber Shandwick Worldwide; Carrie Fenton and Laura Bachrach
of BSMG Worldwide.
Special thanks of Holland Cooke for his contribution to the job
search chapter and to the late John West for his insight in the chapter
on entertainment and public relations.
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
vii
INTRODUCTION
xi
A Very Short History of Public Relations
Public Relations: What It Is, What It Does
The Components of Public Relations
14
The Public Relations Counsel Firm: Proles

of the 10 Largest
24
Life on the Fast Track at a Small Public Relations Firm
45
An Inside Look at Corporate Affairs at

the Bank of America
49
Public Relations for Diverse Organizations
60
Getting the Ink: Media Practice, Media Placement,

and Media Relations
68
Internal and Employee Communications, Employee

Relations, and Employee Publications
100
ix
10
CONTENTS
Speechwriting, Speechmaking, and Executive

Presentations
113
11
Public Affairs, Lobbying, and Issues Management
123
12
Public Interest, Public Service
138
13
Strategic and Integrated Public Relations

and Brand Marketing
148
14
Financial Public Relations and Investor Relations
163
15
Entertainment and Personal Public Relations
179
16
Healthcare Marketing and Communications
189
17
Crisis Communications and Management
204
18
New Media High-Tech Public Relations
229
19
Colleges, Extension Programs, and Summer Institutes
238
20
The Alphabet Organizations of Public Relations
243
21
Important Publications, Web Sites, and News Services
254
22
The Job Search
270
23
The Future Face of Public Relations
317
ENDNOTES
321
GLOSSARY
324
REFERENCES
331
RECOMMENDED READING
341
AUTHOR INDEX
345
INTRODUCTION
hen and now. I was a novice printing salesman canvassing the

famous Brill Building in New Yorks Times Square district for
prospective customers. The buildings tenants were a mixed
bag of song pluggers, song publishers, song writers, agents, and even
a few bookies who somehow convinced the buildings management
that they were legit. I didnt care what they did as long as they needed
letterheads, envelopes, and business cards, my specialty.
I would start my cold canvassing on the top oor and work my
way down. On one of these sales calls I came upon the painted metal
door of an ofce that had a half-dozen names listed, so I thought it
had good business possibilities. Upon entering, I presented my card to
the only person in the ofce, a slovenly character in his early thirties.
He introduced himself as Richie Roberts (his name has been changed
for the purpose of this book).
When I arrived, he was on his way out and asked me to join him
for a drink. It was early in the day, but I gured this was a good
way to become fast friends, especially if he paid. The drink turned
out to be an egg cream, a New York delicacy made of carbonated
water, chocolate syrup, and milk (no egg, no cream). He ordered two
xi
xii
INTRODUCTION
for himself and one for me, then walked directly across the street to
another candy store where he repeated the order for himself.
Later, back in his ofce, Roberts told me that he was a press agent.
I didnt know just what a press agent did, but I was nonetheless impressed. He went on to explain with pride that most of his clients were
Broadway restaurants. His job was to get the names of the restaurants
into the major syndicated newspaper gossip columns. To accomplish
this, Roberts would package a press release that included a small
joke attributed to a name comedian or actor who was dining at one
of Robertss client restaurants.
All parties beneted from this collaborative public relations.
Columnists were pleased because this kind of journalism required
little effort on their part. The comedian got his name in print,
and Robertss restaurant assumed status as the home base of the
celebrated.
Who could resist eating at Sardis if Henny Youngman or Rodney
Dangereld might be at the next table telling brilliantly funny stories?
For this press agentry, Roberts was paid a small amount of cash plus
free meals at the restaurant on slow Monday nights.
Robertss biggest public relations client was a matchmaking service
owned by one Sarah Kane; her Roberts-created slogan: Dont live
in vain, see Sarah Kane. For $25 the client was guaranteed three introductions, usually from a roster of unemployed actors. If the client
was an older woman, Robertss father was invariably one of the introductions.
Robertss career path eventually led him to dubious Hollywood
fame as a successful producer and director of B movies.
His brand of PR bears only a remote resemblance to the profession
as it exists in the 21st century.
Todays PR is a diversied medium involving more than thirty practice areas or components from advocacy to strategic corporate PR,
and includes such high-impact elements as crisis communications,
planning, management, and recovery.
Large multinational corporations have in-house staffs of 200 to 300
people and, in addition, engage outside PR rms with international
branches. We discuss one giant corporations PR activities in a later
chapter.
Then there is the area of new media and Internet PR. Many PR
rms receive assignments from technology startups for which they
are required to have a thorough understanding of hardware, software,
INTRODUCTION
xiii
online content, satellite and wireless communications, channel marketing, and systems integration.
Twenty-rst-century PR is on a roll. It is replacing advertising as
a corporations primary source for getting its message across because
it is often more cost-effective than advertising in building brands and
reaching customers and constituents.
The PR boom means more jobs, higher salaries, and opportunities
across the broad spectrum. In this book we analyze the modern practice of PR and discuss how it serves a wide variety of institutions in
our society.
CHAPTER 1
A Very Short History

of Public Relations
erhaps its a bit of a stretch, but some say the practice of public
relations goes back more than 2,000 years to the time of Julius
Caesar. Old Julius may have been recording history when he
wrote his commentaries, but as the leader of all the Romans and the
coiner of the memorable veni, vidi, vici, he was using an early form
of PR to persuade the citizenry that he was doing a great job.
PR in its most basic form developed in the United States in the
early 1800s when newspapers ran friendly notices in news columns
to reward advertisers with free publicity.
Literary bureaus were developed to contrive such items, and by
the early 20th century, publicity agents, often former journalists,
abounded in New York and in other large cities. This activity was
an important element in the evolution of public relations and continues in modern-day press agentry and the promotion of special
events.
CHAPTER 1
THE ROBBER BARONS, RAKING THE MUCK, AND BEYOND
The latter part of the 19th century saw the rise of the robber barons,
industrialists such as Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jay Gould, and James Fisk,
whose acquisitive business practices had as their precept the public
be damned. To counter their negative image, robber barons hired
skillful and often unscrupulous press agents.
The excesses of these businessmen were targeted by a group of
writers known as muckrakers: Lincoln Steffens, Upton Sinclair, and
Ida Tarbell, among others. One of their prime targets was the oil
magnate, John D. Rockefeller.
In 1906, Ivy Lee, a former newspaperman and the founder of modern PR, was hired as publicity adviser by a group of anthracite coalmine operators who had drawn the attention of the press by their
haughty attitudes toward the miners and the press in labor disputes.
At that time, it was not a common practice for industrialists such as
the mine owners to answer questions from the press about their activities. Lee, reasoning that it was good business for the mine owners to
be more open, sent out an announcement that the operators would
supply the press with all possible information.
Later that year Lee was retained by the Pennsylvania Railroad and
introduced a new practice to that industrythe supplying of full information to the press about railroad accidents. In this he was forging
a major ingredient of what would later be called public relations.
Rockefeller was Ivy Lees rst major client. One of Lees wellpublicized stunts was John D.s distribution of dimes to children.
Early in the 20th century, government agencies began hiring publicity experts in Great Britain and the United States. These specialists
were called directors of information.
After World War I, public relations came into wide use in business
and industry as well as in government. Today, under various titles,
all government agencies have public affairs or public relations departments. When an important announcement is made, or a press
conference is called, it emanates from these departments.
Signicant in the history of modern PR is the contribution of
Edward L. Bernays, who was still pursuing an active career when he
died in 1995 at the venerable age of 105. Bernays coined the phrase
counsel on public relations.
Pejoratively labeled a huckster, a self-serving self-publicist, and the
Father of Spin, others credit this visionary image maker as an important theorist who dreamed up the modern industry of public relations. He wrote the rst book and taught the rst university course on
A VERY SHORT HISTORY OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
the subject. His stunts are legendary. When it was taboo for women
in the 1920s to smoke cigarettes in public, Bernays had socialites light
up torches of freedom on Fifth Avenueand alerted the press.
During his lengthy career, Bernays counseled such clients as Thomas
Edison, Henry Ford, and Eleanor Roosevelt. He also advised former presidents Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, and Dwight D.
Eisenhower. Bernays reportedly turned down Adolf Hitler as a client,
claiming, I wouldnt want it on my superego [Bernays uncle was
Sigmund Freud] that I did for money what I wouldnt do without
money.
In the 1950s, Bernays represented the United Fruit Company. When
a leftist government challenged his clients interests in Guatemala, he
was instrumental in spinning a widespread press campaign that led
to a CIA-sponsored coup.
PR enjoyed exponential growth in the 20th century. Large corporations employed in-house staffs of as many as 200 to 300 people
engaged in various aspects of PR.
In the United States and abroad, federal and local governments
retain extensive staffs of PR specialists to deal with the press, as well
as with their constituents.
And in business, PR executives now perform on an equal basis with
advertising personnel in shaping and executing a clients marketing
objectives.
Public relations is a major industry today, employing a vast network of skilled communicators charged with the responsibility of
interpreting the client to the public and vice versa.
As we show in this book, public relations exponential growth in
the 21st century will be further escalated by the challenges of the new
media revolution.
CHAPTER 2
Public Relations:
What It Is,
What It Does
ill & Knowlton, one of the worlds premier public relations

rms, is an arm of the giant WPP Group, an advertising and
marketing organization with more than $5 billion in annual
worldwide gross income. Hill & Knowltons U.S. fee income exceeded
$177 million in 2000. Some of its major PR activities have included
providing communications counsel for the Three Mile Island nuclear
reactor crisis, a disastrous earthquake in Mexico City, the largest bank
insolvency in the world, and the largest industrial bankruptcy.
During the same period, Hill & Knowlton put its skills to work in
communications management for Humanas articial heart implants.
It introduced a new antiobesity pharmaceutical in Europe and Mexico, and created communications platforms to support ongoing immunization messages for a full spectrum of vaccinations in Australia.
While all this was going on, the rm was involved in new-product
launches for Crest toothpaste, NutraSweet articial sweetener, and
Discover credit card.
At this writing, Hill & Knowlton offers its experience and expertise to such heavyweights as Boeing, Motorola, New York Life,
Continental Airlines, and E TRADE.
4
PUBLIC RELATIONS: WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT DOES
We can already gain a sense of the widespread diversity of PR

functions. Of course, only a large PR rm such as Hill & Knowlton
with global ofces and hundreds of personnel can tackle issues and
assignments of this breadth.
Other public relations rms are making news for their clients in traditional media outlets, as well as in the new universe of online media
and e-business marketing. So, for example, Ogilvy Public Relations,
another top 10 rm owned by the WPP Group, pioneered the rst
web-based study for its client Harvard Universitys Center for Cancer
Prevention. Its purpose was to assess the utility of new media in
educating people to make lifestyle changes that reduce the risk of
cancer.
Most large organizations have their own PR and communications
departments, but engage the counsel of PR rms as well. In chapter 6,
we examine the extensive in-house public relations and communications activity of the Bank of America, the largest U.S. bank.
WHAT IS PUBLIC RELATIONS?
The foregoing are examples of PR in action. We discuss many more

in this book. But rst, here are some general denitions, beginning
with public relations. A simple denition we like comes from Leslys
PR Handbook.1 PR can be dened as helping an organization (or
group) and its publics adapt mutually to each other.
What is a public. A public is an entity whose attention is sought
by a business corporation, an individual, a performer or writer or
artist, a government or governmental agency, a charitable institution,
a religious body, or almost any person or organization. The publics
may be as diverse as female voters of a particular political party
or the shareholders of a public corporation. To the Merck pharmaceutical company marketing a new antidepressant drug, its publics
are medical practitioners, consumer advocates, the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), and, of course, patients.
To the giant Dow Chemical Company with 121 manufacturing
sites in 32 countries and customers in 168 countries, its publics are
employees, retirees, investors, governments, nongovernmental organizations, human rights and environmental groups, and community
leaders with different media, policies, and cultures.
CHAPTER 2
The Concerns of Public Relations
PR deals with the subject entity, or client, and the publics involved.
Acquainting the clients with public perceptions of that client is an
important element of PR; so is affecting these perceptions by focusing,
curtailing, amplifying, or augmenting information about the client as
it is conveyed to the publics.
In its simplest form, PR is concerned with creating a favorable
climate for marketing the clients products or services. This becomes
less simple in a crisis when the client is, say, a public company that
shows a large earnings loss for the year or an automobile company
whose defective tires have caused highway deaths.
To a large extent, the job of PR is to make good news as effective
as possible and to forestall bad news. When disaster strikes, the PR
practitioners job is to assess the situation and the damage quickly, to
assemble all the facts and background information, and to offer these
to the news media, along with answers to their questions. It is the
responsibility of PR to organize the clients response, often involving
complicated issues.
Crisis communications and crisis management are big-league games
in PR practice, but worldwide public affairs, major new product introduction, investor relations, and more than a dozen other activities
and practice areas are no less important. These responsibilities all t
under the umbrella of public relations. We show how it unfolds.
The Tools of Public Relations
In carrying out the PR function, the industry calls on many peripheral

services. Among these are:
Press release services
Satellite message delivery systems
Video news release preparation
Media monitoring
Speakers bureaus
Media directories
Clipping bureaus
Computer-aided research and media analysis
Satellite interview tours
Desktop publishing services
Public speaking training
Film and video productions

Databank services
Preparation of corporate advertising
Writing and editing publications
Design and writing annual reports
Staging events
Arranging press conferences and interviews
Planning and coordinating media tours
Ghostwriting op-ed and bylined articles
Coordinating electronic communication
The sophistication of public relations practice today demands the
implementation of these tools in a eld in which a PR professional
may be called on to perform such diverse activities as producing a
30-minute promotional lm for a client, targeting politicians and
other key decision makers on an issue, organizing the investment
community solicitation on behalf of an Internet startup company,
and developing a crisis response program for a clients product recall.
The Size of the PR Work Force
According to the most recent report of the U.S. Bureau of Labor

Statistics, there are more than 200,000 PR professionals in the United
States. The Institute for PR Research and Education estimates that
there are approximately 250,000 to 300,000 people employed in PR
and public affairs. John Budd, a prominent executive with a PR rm,
claims that there are some half million people with PR of some sort
in their job titles.2 Whoever is right about the employment numbers,
on the basis of the vast amount of money spent annually on PR alone
we can conclude that it is a major communications area. It is also one
with exciting job possibilities.
In the United States, public relations is a multi-billion-dollar business. It is one of the fastest growing industries, with a projected growth
of 47% between 1994 and 2005.
At the governmental level, the Department of Defense employs
about 1,000 communications specialists, and the U.S. Information
Agency has 9,000 communications people on its staff. Communications personnel are also employed in large numbers at the state and
municipal level.
Academically, the number of college students majoring in public
relations has risen dramatically. In 1951, only 12 colleges offered
CHAPTER 2
major programs in PR, and that number did not increase by much in
the 1960s. At this writing, more than 22,000 students at 300 colleges
are either majoring in PR or taking a least one course in this subject.
The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) has more
than 6,500 student members at 209 U.S. colleges and universities.
There are also 5,400 U.S. companies and 500 trade associations with
PR departments.
In chapter 4 we focus on the 10 largest global PR rms. But in the
United States there are also 5,400 other rms.
Salaries in PR are basically equivalent to those in other media and
communications professions. Top communications executives at
major PR rms and at corporations draw six-gure salaries.
Public Relations Publics
We have offered a brief denition of a public and noted that different types of organizations have different publics. In Fraser P. Seitels
denitive book, The Practice of Public Relations, the author lists
20 key publics of a typical multinational corporation. These are
groups and organizations with whom the corporation is closely involved. The term stakeholder is also sometimes used instead of public.
Here are a few of Seitels examples3 :
Stockholders
Investment community
Dealers/distributors
Customers
Federal, state, local legislators
Board of directors
Labor unions
It is important to understand the relationship of an organization
to its publics. The subject of publics also deals with images, identity,
and reputation. We again quote Seitel: It takes a great deal of time to
build a favorable image for a corporation but only one slip to create
a negative public impression. In other words, the corporate image is
a fragile commodity.4
Other publics are equally important to a corporation or large organization. Add to this list scientic, trade, and professional organizations, special-interest groups such as women and minorities, opinion
leaders, and government authorities.
THE FUNCTIONS OF A PR SPECIALIST
Whether working for a corporation, an organization, or a PR counsel

rm, one will nd that various jobs and services are common to all.
Following are just a few of the functions of a PR practitioner:
r Coordinates media relations for the organization and its divisions.
r Plans and implements the organizations PR, public service, and
public interest programs.
r Writes speeches for executives.
r Writes press releases for the trade and consumer press.
r Arranges speakers, meetings, and events.
r Writes and edits house publications, newsletters, and employee
communications.
r Acts as spokesperson for organizations in event of accident or
disaster.
r Arranges press conferences.
r Supervises audiovisual materials for sales meetings and nancial
presentations.
r Accompanies CEO (chief executive ofcer) and top management
on business tours to arrange conventions.
r Works with nancial staff on presentation of annual and quarterly
reports.
r Provides corporate reputation research and positioning.
r Offers philanthropic investment counsel and planning.
r Tracks electronic and print media opportunities for clients.
r Organizes major scientic and political congresses.
r Targets politicians and other key decision-makers on behalf of
clients public affairs objectives.
r Counsels clients on all phases of business launches.
r Assists clients in leveraging the Internet.
r Researches market intelligence.
PR Counsel Firms
The PR function is carried out at two levels. At a corporation,

organization, trade association, or governmental agency, PR is the
responsibility of a group of specialists. As we show in chapter 6, a
large corporation such as the Bank of America has a staff of hundreds
performing numerous PR and public affairs activities. In addition,
many large corporations and organizations supplement their own
10
CHAPTER 2
efforts by retaining outside specialists, called PR counsel. In the industry, counsel organizations are also known as PR counsel rms, PR
agencies, PR rms, and agencies.
New York City, the hub of the nations PR business, is home to
hundreds of PR counsel rms and the headquarters of many global
PR organizations. Although these rms do not employ as many people
as do advertising agencies, they are nonetheless important adjuncts to
their clients PR programs in the areas of managing crises, establishing
global communications, positioning products and brands, planning
special events, and the other areas discussed in this chapter. We discuss
these and other PR counsel rm pursuits in detail in chapter 4.
Of the New York-based global PR counsel rms, more than a dozen
employ 400 or more people. One of these rms, Burson-Marsteller, a
branch of the giant WPP Group advertising and marketing organization, employs more than 2,000 professionals in 35 countries to service
hundreds of clients.
PR counsel rms usually bill their clients on monthly retainers at
fees ranging from a low of $1,000 up to $50,000 or more. Occasionally, the rms perform prescribed services for an agreed-on fee
but will undertake other assignments on a per-project basis. Account
executives at these rms are trained to juggle a number of accounts
at the same time.
A trend in recent years has been for advertising agencies to own
PR counsel rmsin a sense, being responsible for a clients total
communications package. These large organizations maintain ofces
in New York City, in other U.S. cities, and abroad.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ADVERTISING AND PR
Advertising and PR are related, but there are denite differences.

Advertising involves the planning, creation, and placement of sales
messages for products and services. PR is concerned with corporate, nancial, and marketing communications; product publicity;
and public affairs. An ad agency will create TV and print ads for
Kraft margarine. Krafts PR rm will publicize the results of a survey
that indicates margarines positive contribution to a healthful diet.
In this era of increasing specialization, there are rms that do only
nancial PR and many large rms that have nancial departments.
11
PR counsel rms attract some of the best and brightest university

graduates. Many rms conduct competitive training programs that
have enabled them to recruit MBAs, PhDs, and people with degrees
in journalism, philosophy, science, and other disciplines. Tough competition, but its worth it when you get there.
PR: A TWO-WAY STREET
PR professionals spend a great deal of their time on placementsthat

is, arranging for their companys or clients releases and other information to appear in the media. However, as important as placements
are for them, the journalists on the other side of the fence need a
constant ow of news and feature material to satisfy the voracious
appetites of print and broadcast media. This is especially the case in
newspapers, where, it has been estimated that a substantial portion
of the content comes from PR sources.
Particularly with the advent of the Internet, working journalists
have ready access to key individuals at corporations and data about
the operations of these organizations.
If, for example, a working journalist is doing an article on agriculture, there are numerous sources at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as well as at more than a dozen environmental groups, that can be
contacted or whose Web sites can be downloaded to obtain information. And if the journalist is writing a piece about the New York Stock
Exchange, there are six press ofcers who can handle the request.
In the following chapters we analyze specically the components
of PR and how they work for different kinds of corporations and
organizations.
DONT CALL THEM FLACKS:

THE MANY NAMES OF PR PEOPLE
In the introduction I referred to Richie Roberts as a press agent.

Most PR professionals consider this a pejorative term. Yet in the theater and allied entertainment elds, it is still widely used. A publicist,
a term that in most cases is synonymous with press agent, is a person
who spends most of the time trying to get stories written or broadcast
12
CHAPTER 2
about his or her clients. On Broadway, there is even a press agents

union, so a running Broadway show is required to have a press agent
who is paid a xed amount to publicize that particular production.
A less attering term is ack. The name is said to derive from Gene
Flack, a one-time movie publicity agent. Columnists still use it as a
disparaging term for press agents.
The title spokesperson is used frequently by the media to designate an organizations key PR representative. PR News describes
the title as disparaging, incorrect, and irritating, implying that the
spokesperson is merely a mouthpiece, having nothing to do with formulating or implementing programs and policies. Nevertheless, the
terms spokesman and spokesperson are widely used, particularly in
government, governmental agencies, and large corporations.
At a corporation, the term director of public relations is a popular
designation for that individual who directs the companys entire PR
effort. This title is given as director of corporate communications
in some organizations. A media relations director is the individual
whose efforts are concentrated on placing stories and releases in the
print and broadcast media.
In recent years, the terms spin and spin doctors have become popular in political circles. Spin doctors are those engaged in manipulating
public perceptions. Spin has a slightly negative connotation from a
PR standpoint because it implies image xing.
Other job titles used in PR are public affairs manager, communications specialist, public information ofcer, press secretary, information
representative, director of community relations, issues communications director, and consumer affairs director. There are differences in
these job functions. A public affairs manager deals primarily with
legislative and regulatory activity. A press secretary works for a public ofcial and acts as that individuals link to the media. A consumer affairs director is concerned with a corporations relationship
with environmental and public-policy groups. These are terms used
primarily by corporations and other organizations. At PR counsel
rms, the title account executive seems to prevail. We discuss specic
job functions in a later chapter.
How PR Professionals Are Accredited
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has almost 20,000

members in 114 national chapters. The organization has established a
Universal Accreditation Program that includes eight public relations
13
organizations. The program grants the designation Accredited in Public Relations (APR) to professionals who pass a written and oral
examination.
The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC)
grants an Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) designation that
recipients are able to use after their names. The IABC has about
20,000 members worldwide.
More about these important organizations is given in chapter 20.
CHAPTER 3
The Components
of Public Relations
n this book we deal with 11 components, or practice areas, of

public relations. We offer an overview of these components here
and discuss them in greater detail in later chapters.
PR counsel rms divide their specializations into practice areas.
Although the rms operate outside a corporations or organizations
own PR department, they perform certain duties supplemental to the
in-house department.
Not every corporation or other organization engages all these practice areas in-house. The American Medical Association, for example,
has little need for in-house nancial public relations, but IBMs structure includes a large department involved in this activity.
MEDIA RELATIONS
Media relations is one of the dominant functions of public relations.

Its basic role is the origination of press information and the handling
of requests from the media about their subject areas and activities.
14
THE COMPONENTS OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
15
One industry leader summed up the importance of media relations

to a corporation by saying that media is the customer, and the product
or service is the news.
At a multinational corporation like IBM, media relations is divided
into two main divisionsCorporate Media Relations, and Marketing and Services Media Relations. Within this structure, IBM Corporate Media Relations is responsible for issues and nancial matters
that have an impact on IBM worldwide, whereas Marketing and Services is concerned with IBMs products and services in the United
States.
Corporate Media Relations assignments include nancial issues,
technology issues and developments, world trade issues, and tax
legislation.
Marketing and Services Media Relations include U.S. employee
and community media relations and research communications media
relations.
But few companies or organizations have the size and clout of an
IBM, where almost every move it makes is covered avidly by the
nancial and general press.
The tools of todays media relations practice include press releases,
media briefs and alerts, tele-press conferences, media drops, satellite
media tours, and video news releases.
No matter the increased sophistication of the tools, the basic goal
for the media relations professional is getting the ink or providing
maximum press coverage for the client. These professionals accomplish this by perseverance and knowing how and where to submit
each story.
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATIONS, EMPLOYEE RELATIONS,

AND PUBLICATIONS
In 1998, two world-leader aeronautical companies, Boeing and

McDonnell Douglas, agreed to merge. The implications for the combined companys 220,000 employees and their families were enormous. Who would be excessed, who would be moved, what would
happen to union agreements and pension plans, what management
group would run the show, and whose CEO should break the news?
The issues in this merger were detailed in the 1998 Creativity
in Public Relations Awards (Cipra) competition conducted by PR
CENTRAL.1
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CHAPTER 3
Employee communications is a practice of PR that focuses on internal messages, motivations, behaviors, and systems relating to a
corporations or other organizations personnel. It encompasses targeted publications about these issues. And when there is bad news,
the organization deals with it and attempts to minimize the damage.
SPEECHWRITING
Consider the last time you werent bored by a speech. It may be a

long time ago, especially if weve just been through a U.S. Presidential campaign. Yet good speech writing and presentation are essential
skills in politics and business.
Many large corporations have a chief executive speech writer
whose main responsibility is writing speeches for CEOs. Speech
writers also write for other top executives. This component of PR is
also carried out at organizations and government agencies. An adjunct
of speech writing is ghostwriting bylined articles for top executives to
be published in the trade and consumer press.
Some groups like The Executive Speaker train people in speech presentation skills and even include negotiation skills in their program.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS, LOBBYING, AND ISSUES MANAGEMENT
First, lets have a basic denition of this PR specialization. Public

affairs PR helps an organization understand, inuence, communicate
with, and adapt to its various publicslocal and federal governments,
governmental agencies, shareholders, and special interest groups.
One major PR counsel rm, Burson-Marsteller, categorizes the
strategy of its public affairs practice: When we help our clients communicate, we do so with a clear idea of who we are attempting to
reach, the hot buttons [issues] that will cause this audience to act
and the specic desired outcome our efforts will achieve.
In Washington, D.C., at one time, a couple of dozen Congressional
bigwigs had the power to get things done. The top lobbyists could
simply buttonhole these politicos, have dinner and a few drinks, and
win their support for an issue.
Todays lobbyists are sophisticated practitioners who offer their
corporate and other clients a melange of services that includes
traditional lobbying, research, polling, and direct mail canvassing.
17
According to an article in The New York Times, public affairs and

lobbying have become bonanzas for ten of the top Washington PR
rms who have racked up billings of more than $200 million in this
specialization.2
Lobbying involves interaction between an organizations representatives and governmental ofcials. Often it takes the form of inuencing legislation or, in some cases, introducing new legislation affecting
the organizations interest.
Issues communications and issues management fall under the
purview of public affairs departments, primarily in corporations, but
in other organizations as well. Issues management deals with matters
affecting the corporation in the present and potentially affecting it in
the future. An organization might support a particular candidate in
a political race or run ads in newspapers and magazines regarding its
position on social, environmental, and technical issues.
Other issues that a corporation may face are hazardous waste disposal, unfair labor practices in Third World countries, and minority
employment policy.
PUBLIC INTEREST, PUBLIC SERVICE, IMAGE,

AND REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
Image building is a signicant component of PR. Its implementation is

the function of specialists within a corporation or other organization
and their PR counsel rms.
As an example of the use of image building by a large corporation,
consider the following case. Some years ago, the Bristol-Myers Squibb
Company received FDA approval for an AIDS treatment drug. Financial estimates placed the drugs revenues for the company at $100
million a year. Shortly after the approval, the company announced
that it would provide this expensive drug free to those who could not
afford to pay for it. The companys PR staff distributed a report to the
media on its policy regarding the drug. Clearly, this is positive image
building targeted to a number of Bristol-Myers Squibbs publics
shareholders, the medical community, AIDS patients, governmental
agencies, consumer groups, and the general public.
Community relations refers to a corporations or organizations
activities in the local and national community. AT&T, for instance,
assumes a broad-based role in the school reform process in Chicagos
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CHAPTER 3
public schools. It is the job of the community relations staff to explore

opportunities, secure the corporations support, and then encourage
the participation of employees. The community relations staff also
publicizes these programs.
Many corporations include support for poverty and minority programs in their community relations agenda, as well as health care,
cultural activities, and charitable contributions. The desired result is
the molding of a positive corporate image.
The publics vastly increased concern over environmental and public health issues has spawned the organization of thousands of advocacy groups. Often these groups engage in battles with industry and
government over the resolution of key issues.
In one recent election in California, ve ballot initiatives were
offered to voters involving such sensitive areas as timber harvesting,
alcohol taxes, marine resources, pesticide regulations, and the use of
prison inmate labor. Each was contested by advocacy groups on one
side and business and labor unions on the other.
This component of PR has developed discrete techniques in the
implementation of its programs. It presents a particular challenge for
the advocacy groups, because they are almost always outspent by
their opponents.
An ad in The New Yorker, sponsored by the Philip Morris Companies, doesnt mention the companys cigarettes or its Miller Beer
brand. Instead, the ad promotes the cause of helping survivors of domestic violence. In 2000, the cigarette maker budgeted a $100-million
TV advertising campaign aimed at the problems of hunger, domestic
violence, and teen smoking.
Other corporations engage in similar public service programs and
are active in the area of corporate contributions.
These roles fall within the organizational structure of the public affairs department. A contribution to public television to produce a particular series is an example of such corporate giving. Other examples
might be the sponsorship of college scholarships or graduate fellowships, or of matching grants for cultural programs.
STRATEGIC CORPORATE PR
AND INTEGRATED COMMUNICATIONS
Strategic corporate PR and integrated communications seem to be

the key buzz words in the PR eld today. My old press agent friend
Richie Roberts surely didnt know about strategic marketing and
19
communications. His PR efforts were simple. You had a client whose

name you got into the columns. Today, the results of PR campaigns
can be measured and evaluated, and its practitioners are held accountable for results.
Strategic corporate PR is the identication of an objective
corporate staff downsizing, improved share price, greater productivity, more salesand the implementation of an integrated program
to achieve these objectives.
In attaining these goals, says veteran senior PR executive Philip
J. Webster, the corporation cannot succeed without the assistance
and alignment of the individuals and constituencies it relies on for
support. In short, its publics or stakeholders, including employees,
shareholders, the nancial community, suppliers, plant communities,
government, media, special interest groups, and the public at large.
Integrated communications relates to the use of PR along with
advertising, direct marketing, promotion, and other tools to shape
public opinion and deliver audience actions. In practice, its effectiveness depends on close cooperation between the corporation and its
PR rm, and coordination through a single planning system of all the
disparate elements.
INVESTOR RELATIONS AND FINANCIAL PR
The story appeared on page one of the October 17, 2000, issue of
The Wall Street Journal. This inuential business newspaper has a
daily circulation of more than 1.7 million. The article dealt with the
negative impact of corporate rumors and changes at the Coca-Cola
Company. As it did that day, such a story can have a dramatic effect
on the companys stock.
Cokes nancial and investor relations people may have pitched the
story exclusively to the Journal, but Coca-Cola, no doubt, heard from
dozens of other people in the media about the issue.
The role of investor relations and nancial PR includes the task of
communicating with the press, the shareholders of a corporation, or
members of an organization regarding its nancial performance and
objectives. This complex function involves preparing periodic and annual reports, arranging stockholders meetings, writing press releases
on earnings or the nancial implications of new product development, and coordinating interviews between corporate or organization
executives and security analysts.
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CHAPTER 3
The preparation of quarterly and annual reports falls into the domain of this component of PR. The annual report is an extremely important selling piece for the corporation, with wide distribution to
stockholders, brokers, security analysts, institutional investors, and
those individuals considering investing in the company. Annual reports are issued by nonprot organizations as well as corporations.
Investor relations and nancial PR are demanding activities calling
for a broad range of skills on the part of its practitioners. It is also a
well-paid job classication.
ENTERTAINMENT AND PERSONAL PUBLIC RELATIONS
In the theater, particularly on Broadway, each running show must

have its own publicist. Record companies have their own PR staffs,
but their artists have personal publicists to promote their tours and
concerts. In TV, the major networks publicize their shows, but often
a shows production company will supplement this activity.
Although many movie actors have their own publicists, the studios
maintain large PR staffs under the umbrella of ad/pub departments,
combining the functions of advertising and publicity. For a movie
featuring major stars, the PR team arranges interviews on major TV
talk shows, as well as elaborate press tours. TV and stage luminaries
also have their own publicity representation.
Entertainment PR may seem to be a glamorous eld, and in some
respects it is. However, it is very stressful and highly competitive.
During celebrity divorce proceedings, each participant often has
a separate publicist. Every jab and counterpunch is trumpeted to
the media for instant transmission to their gossip-hungry audience.
If this seems to be overreacting personal PR, it is commonplace
in Los Angeles, where ones publicist is as necessary as ones
therapist.
In fact, in LA its not just actors, rock stars, and athletes who
have their own publicists. Plastic surgeons, dentists who specialize in
smile reconstruction, dog groomers, exercise physiologists, and even
high-priced landscapersall retain PR specialists as well. Its as simple
as this: Getting your name in the newspapers or on TV is good
business, justifying the monthly publicists fee of $2,000 to
$10,000. Personal PR is a lucrative eld employing thousands of
publicists.
21
HEALTH CARE MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Drug companies spend vast amounts of research money developing

new drugs. Then, once approved, the companies expend huge sums
on marketing the drugs to the consumer.
In promoting new drugs, pharmaceutical companies face many options. Where should marketing and advertising be positioned? What
sampling techniques should be used to bring the drugs to the attention
of busy medical practitioners? How should campaigns be focused and
should the drugs be marketed abroad?
Often, PR specialists are called in regarding strategic planning, market analysis, sampling, and advertising positioning.
Health care marketing is a high-paying, dynamic component of
public relations, one that is generally not affected by adverse economic
conditions.
CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS, CRISIS MANAGEMENT,

CRISIS PLANNING, AND CRISIS RECOVERY
The area of crisis communications provides the high drama of public

relations.
The 2001 World Trade Center suicide attack, Bhopal, Three Mile
Island, Lockerbie, the Exxon Valdez, the Bridgestone/Firestone Ford
recallthis is a litany of disasters no less infamous in the eyes of the
public than the battle sites of war. In Bhopal, India, an explosion at
a Union Carbide chemical plant caused the death of thousands. For
years afterward, Union Carbides image was marred.
Philip Morris was severely wounded by 1997s huge tobacco settlement. Firestone suffered an enormous image loss, as well as nancial
loss, in the year 2000 tire recall.
Incidents such as those alluded to hereair crashes, school shootings product recalls, strikes, major accidents, attacks by environmental or advocacy groups, bankruptcies, a killing at a community
hospital, and other emergencies that threaten the existence of a corporation or institutionrequire sophisticated crisis communications
and crisis management.
In a crisis, the corporation or organization and its PR rm enlist the
services of many peoplewriters to issue press releases to the media,
on-site personnel to work with local and national press, speechwriters
for the organizations spokespersons, and contact people to make
22
CHAPTER 3
arrangements for meetings between the organizations executives and

local ofcials.
In chapter 17 we devote considerable coverage to this vital component of PR. We discuss the proactive approach to crisis communications and management and examine an organizations crisis planning,
its execution, and its evaluation of the results.
NEW MEDIA AND HIGH-TECH PUBLIC RELATIONS
Interactive strategies, emerging technologies, e-commerce, core solutions, Internet marketingthese are some of the challenges for todays
public relations professionals in the ravenous arena of new media.
Specialists have been at this new game for only a few years, yet there
are already long lists of winners and losers.
New media public relations specialists are developing strategies to
position a company or a brand from a country-centric to a global
business model.
High-tech and new media have turned from a geeky business overrun with acronyms into a cool, cultural phenomenon.
OTHER COMPONENTS, SPECIALIZATIONS,

AND PRACTICE AREAS
We list here some of the subareas in the burgeoning eld of public

relations and communications:
Activists, dealing with
Business-to-business ethics
Change management
Corporate art
Divestitures
Economic development
Guerilla marketing
Initial public offerings
Labor relations
Litigation communications
23
Marketing to gays and lesbians, minorities, seniors, youth,

women
Nutrition
Philanthropy
Privacy
Recruitment
Regulatory affairs
Repositioning
Social marketing and social responsibility
Vision and values
CHAPTER 4
The Public Relations

Counsel Firm: Proles
of the 10 Largest
any corporations with large in-house advertising departments also employ ad agencies to prepare and place their
advertising. Similarly, a corporation or other organization
may have its own large public relations or corporate communications department, yet supplement its own efforts by retaining outside
specialists. These specialists are known as PR counsel rms or PR
agencies. PR rms function very much like advertising agencies. In
fact, many PR rms are owned by advertising companies. Three global
advertising leaders, the WPP Group, Omnicom, and the Interpublic
Group, own 7 of the top 10 PR rms.
Public relations counsel rms perform numerous services for a
variety of clients. Although some rms are small one- and two-person
operations, a few of the top rms employ a thousand or more people
in the United States.
The Council of Public Relations Firms prepares an annual industry
ranking. Here is a listing of the top 10 PR counsel rms, along with
their 2000 U.S. revenues, followed by a prole of each.
24
THE PUBLIC RELATIONS COUNSEL FIRM
NUMBER
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
FIRM NAME
Fleishman-Hillard
Weber Shandwick Worldwide
Burson-Marsteller
Hill & Knowlton
Edelman Public Relations
Worldwide
BSMG Worldwide
Ketchum Public Relations
Porter Novelli International
Ogilvy Public Relations
Worldwide
Golin/Harris International
25
2000 U.S.
REVENUE ($)
2000
TOTAL STAFF
266,831,000
219,184,000
182,259,000
177,858,000
168,430,000
1,808
1,512
980
1,096
1,259
147,380,000
143,779,000
135,888,000
129,063,000
843
1,014
1,004
978
107,905,000
670
On a worldwide basis, Burson-Marsteller is number 1 with revenues of more than $300 million. In recent years, the top 10 PR rms
have seen their billings rise 20 to 25% a year.
The number 100 rm, by comparison, Brotman Winter Fried, employs 12 people and had 2000 revenues of $4.2 million, and the number 200 rm, Richmond Public Relations, billed $1.56 million.
The large rms we focus on make history every day. They advise,
consult with, and counsel management of an organization on such
disparate issues as a product recall, an unfriendly corporate takeover,
the development of a new breakthrough drug, or restoring condence
in the safety of a tourist destination after a series of violent incidents.
They are sought out by governments, corporations, associations, trade
commissions, and even individuals.
Here is a partial list of award-winning campaigns of our top
10 rms:
Fleishman-Hillard with client SBC Communications: Bringing
Broadband to the Masses . . . Pronto.
Burson-Marsteller with client Tennessee American Water Company: Stopping the Government Takeover of Tennessee
American Water Company.
Shandwick with client Dimensions Healthcare Group: Condition Critical: Killing at a Community Hospital.
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CHAPTER 4
Hill & Knowlton with client Ciena: Ciena Denes Its Own
Image.
Edelman with MTD Products: Yard-Man Moves Across
America.
Ketchum with Mattel, Inc.: Celebrating 40 Years of Barbie Doll
Dreams.
BSMG Worldwide with Campbell Soup Company: Unveiling
the New Campbells Soup Label.
Porter Novelli with Florida Tobacco Pilot Program: The Truth
Campaign.
Ogilvy with KNPQwest: KPNQwest IPO, Raising One Billion
Dollars @ The Speed of Light.
Other examples of award-winning campaigns by the top rms are:
r Search for the ultimate PokeMOM.
r Tell Americans they need a cholesterol checkup.
r Create an annual report for Nike with a sense of humor.
r Promote the responsible use of credit cards by college students.
r Conduct a campaign for the worlds largest food manufacturer to
end childhood hunger.
r Convince the various publics that a merger between Ameritech and
SBC is in the public interest.
r Guide Tides search for the dirtiest kid in America.
These are also award-winners, but hundreds of others t into the mold
of excellence.
Lets take a closer look at the 10 largest PR rms.
FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
Fleishman-Hillard began as a single ofce in St. Louis, Missouri, more

than 50 years ago. The founders, Al Fleishman and Bob Hillard,
opened a second ofce in Kansas City, Missouri, growing the agency
from a local business to a regional operation.
In 1974, John Graham became president and the rm was transformed once again, this time into a national and international agency.
In 1980 there were fewer than 60 employees, and from 1980 to
27
1990, the number jumped to almost 600. And by 2000, the rm had
49 ofces located in 16 countries on 5 continents.
In 1997, America Online (AOL), a Fleishman-Hillard client, created the AOL Foundation. Its primary purpose was to leverage the
power of the Internet and online technology to benet society,
improve the lives of families and children, and empower the
disadvantaged.
The AOL Foundation conducted research that determined a growing gap between those with access to the digital economy and the
Internet and those without these advantages. Programs were created
to deliver the benets of the new medium to communities worldwide.
Initially, the publics were identied: AOL members; inuentials
in Washington, D.C.; the nancial community; and industry analysts.
Two primary objectives were determined: First, provide educators
with the tools necessary to experiment with the technology in the
classroom, and second, position the AOL Foundation as the leader in
the philanthropic effort to build capacity in the nonprot community
to meet demand for online nonprot activities.
Interactive education initiative grants were sought. FleishmanHillard promoted these grants and secured coverage in education
trade publications.
The rm arranged for the AOL Foundations participation in educational conferences to identify and promote its objectives.
A super portal called helping.org was established that was to be
a clearinghouse of charitable best practices. Internet policy leaders and decision makers were introduced and oriented to the new
portal.
Fleishman-Hillard sought opportunities for the AOL Foundation
to become a leader in the effort to improve technological literacy in
the community. In just a few years, the AOL Foundation had become
a nationally recognized and respected nonprot organization. The
number of interactive education initiative grants increased dramatically year to year.
The agency secured speaking engagements at many national educational conferences, where the AOL Foundation was exposed to more
than 34,500 educators.
The portal helping.org, launched in October 1999, was favorably
received by the media, the nonprot industry, and consumers.
Stories in the print media informed hundreds of thousands of readers
about helping.org. The broadcast media also focused on the story.
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CHAPTER 4
In only its rst month, helping.org raised donations of about

$50,000 from 500 people. In less than a year, the site has received
an average of 38,200 page views a day.
Fleishman-Hillard aligned the AOL Foundation with many national philanthropic conferences. Speaking engagements were arranged. More than 1,000 charities registered and received donations
on helping.org.
For this campaign, the rm and America Online won a coveted
Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Silver Anvil Award 2000.
The essence of a PR rms excellence is the quality of its work.
Lets look at two other examples chosen from the Creativity in Public
Relations Awards (Cipra).
In 1994, Fleishman-Hillard helped the Dell Computer Corporation
introduce its Latitude family of portable longest-life computers. At
one point, the rm set up a mobile press conference at New Yorks
JFK airport where Dell CEO Michael Dell invited American Airlines
passengers to test y the new Latitude computers on a special
coast-to-coast ight between New York and Los Angeles. Latitude
computers were distributed to everyone aboard the ight, and six
Dell technical experts rode along to help users navigate the new PCs
enroute.
Media coverage of the event was extensive. The Wall Street Journal
ran a story with a headline that read, Dells Notebook Keeps Going
and Going, and called the Latitude the Holy Grail of portables.
In another notable campaign, the agency helped client Aviron maximize the successful clinical trial results of its nasal spray u vaccine
for children.
Want to hit home runs for Fleishman-Hillard? Forward your
resume to careers@eishman.com or submit your resume online to
www.eishman.com/careers.
WEBER SHANDWICK WORLDWIDE
In 1974, Peter Gummer, ennobled in 1996 as Lord Chadlington,

founded Shandwick International. As the company grew, it expanded
worldwide by acquiring industry-specic businesses such as Rogers
& Cowan (entertainment) and Miller/Shandwick Technologies.
Shandwick International was itself acquired in 1998 by the
Interpublic Group of Companies, an advertising and marketing
conglomerate that employs more than 28,000 people in 120 countries
29
worldwide. In 2000, Shandwick merged with Weber Public Relations

Worldwide, another high-ranking PR rm.
Heres an example of the rms handling of a crisis situation.
The Prince Georges Hospital Center is a community hospital near
some of the toughest neighborhoods of Washington, D.C. In 1999,
a well-liked senior hospital administrator and mother of three was
discovered murdered, bound to her chair and sexually assaulted in
her family health center ofce. The hospitals management called in
the rm to implement a crisis communications plan both groups had
carefully developed.
In the aftermath, the skillful handling of the tragedy by the hospitals executives and the Shandwick team served as a model in crisis
management.
A global PR rm such as this one steps up to the plate in situations
as diverse as publicizing Scotch-Brites high-performance cleaning
cloth to winning a Cipra award for speechwriting for client General
Motors.
In January 1998, Nick Morris was a Miller/Shandwick account
manager in London. Morriss client, giant Compaq Computer Corporation, was there for an annual strategy update for the European
media, when he was handed a note from the client informing him
that it had just bought Digital Equipment Corporation for
$9.6 billion, the then-largest acquisition in the history of the industry.
It made a giant story, and Morris was in a position to inuence how
it was communicated.
Going to work for Weber Shandwick is a learning experience. In
fact, the rm even has a Reputation Management University, conducted in each ofce in North America. RMU has no football team,
but the student/employee participates by monitoring programs, using
electronic learning tools, and attending brown-bag sessions and
seminars.
Insight is an interactive learning site on the rms Intranet that gives
younger employees access to the experience and wisdom of veterans
and allows for a continuous exchange of ideas among ofces and with
the rms clients.
Heres an example of how the Insight site works:
An assistant account executive travels to Arizona with a vice president
for a spring-break promotional event for a client. When they land, the
VP tells the AE, Role reversalyoure in charge, tell me what to do.
Im here to backstop you and help, but this is your gig. Its a great
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CHAPTER 4
chance for the junior employee to grow and an excellent example of

how to manage people by giving them opportunity, tools, and support.
After the event, the student jumps on the electronic learning site,
selects the Managing People category, and bangs out a quick 10-minute
analysis of what she and her tutor learned from this experience
of running an event and growing their capabilities. She might also
report trends in what young people are doing during spring break.
This decentralized learning from people who are out doing real work
keeps the rm in touch with the world as it changes.
Weber Shandwicks PR services include reputation management;

strategic communications planning; business, trade, and broadcast
media relations; analyst relations; interactive communications; and
special events planning.
A prime advantage here is the opportunity to be exposed to global
clients, programs, projects, and experiences on a regular basis. Employees gain broad understanding and skills to counsel clients as they
face the complex challenges of a competitive global marketplace.
Not all of its clients have the cachet of Compaq and Lotus Development, yet the rm is clearly focused on understanding the issues
and problems of its smaller clients.
Check out Weber Shandwick International on the Web: www.
webershandwick.com.
BURSON-MARSTELLER
In 1953, Harold Burson merged his public relations rm with the

advertising agency headed by Bill Marsteller. They called the combined operation Burson-Marsteller, although Marsteller was the taller
of the two partners.
In 1979, the rm became a part of the Young & Rubicam family
of advertising agency companies. Young & Rubicam was purchased
by the WPP Group in October 2000, creating the worlds largest
advertising and communications company. In the public relations
sphere, WPP not only owns Burson-Marsteller, but also two other top
10 players, Hill & Knowlton and Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide.
We illustrate here a situation in the area of public affairs and issues
management.
In 1999, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the City Council voted 90
to take over the control of the citys water utility, which had been
31
operated for 130 years by the Tennessee Water Company. The company hired Burson-Marsteller to stop the takeover.
Burson-Marsteller devised a three-phase strategy to overturn the
councils vote. First, it stressed the water companys 130 years of
reliable service. Then, it pressed for a public vote on this sensitive
issue, and last, it emphasized the risks of the takeover.
The implementation of this program was treated like a political
campaign. The rm, working side by side with the water companys
own team, brought in other specialists to handle research, advertising,
and local political insight.
Many months and many dollars later, the vote was overturned by
the council, and Burson-Marstellers water company client retained
its franchise. The case won a Cipra 2000 award in the category of
Public Affairs.
If you work for this PR rm, youre part of a company with more
than 2,000 professionals in 35 countries with revenues of $275
million.
On any given day, Burson-Marsteller teams may be conducting
a medical symposium in Tokyo; targeting politicians and other key
decision makers, as well as activist groups, policy research institutes,
academics, business leaders, trade unions, and the general public; or
even promoting the introduction of a new ballpark in Pittsburgh.
The rm serves a diverse body of clients ranging from multinational
corporations, business organizations, and professional associations to
governmental bodies and not-for-prot institutions.
Burson-Marsteller specializes in a number of key practice areas:
public affairs, technology, media, marketing communications, corporate/nancial, and health care.
What constitutes health care in todays marketplace? It can involve
counseling an AIDS prevention campaign, a breakthrough disease
treatment, or a nancially troubled managed care hospital chain.
Burson-Marsteller can do little about a stocks price, but the rm
can inuence investor condence, if, of course, this is justied. It
accomplishes this with a panoply of services that include positioning
and message development, investor relations program evaluations,
nancial community surveys, targeted news stories, and Web site
development.
Media relations is at the heart of this PR rms marketing practice.
Its a sophisticated mixed bag that includes chat rooms on the Internet, media tours, major press events, satellite news conferences, and
ongoing news bureau functions.
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Your career path at Burson-Marsteller will introduce you to the

techniques of todays top-level practice in a half-dozen major areas.
Youll learn such nuances as how clients are trained to face the media
and, in the rmss giant health care practice, youll see how it
helps clients navigate this new media, political, social, and economic
landscape. The specialties within the health care practice area alone
include pharmaceuticals, public education campaign, and medical
technology.
Running a global operation such as Burson-Marsteller requires that
ofces and employees around the world be linked together electronically. Media practice specialists have instantaneous access to various
databases from which they are able to:
r Track electronic and print media opportunities for clients.
r Track coverage of clients and client issues.
r Track ongoing and emerging media trends and theories.
r Access the rms huge network of media contacts.
Burson-Marsteller places heavy emphasis on communications
training not only for its own people, but also for its clients, particularly those who meet with the media regularly. The rms trainers
prepare clients for media interviews, speeches and presentations, expert testimony, and other forums using specialized training modules
to implement these programs.
See chapter 22 for an interview with an account executive at the
rms New York headquarters and an interview with its human
resources director.
Go to www.bm.com for information on jobs and more.
HILL & KNOWLTON
In 1927, when John Hill opened his shop in Cleveland, press agents
typically served as advance men for circuses, sports events, movies,
and theaters. They gained favor with newspaper reporters and editors
by handing out Annie Oakleys (free passes). Most press agents were
former reporters or moonlighting working reporters supplementing
their meager paychecks.
In 1934, Hill landed his agencys rst big business client, the
American Iron and Steel Institute, giving him a new-found respectability he could grow on.
33
In one 48-hour period, todays Hill & Knowlton helped nine CEOs
and managing directors establish business dialogues with ofcials of
the U.S., Japanese, Chinese, and Australian governments and two
different committees of the European Parliament. At the same time,
Hill & Knowlton worked with marketing professionals in ve countries on the introduction or revival of seven products, including computer software, a breakthrough health care treatment, a packaged
food innovation, and a telecommunications system.
In the same two days, its staff introduced a leading U.S. nancial
institution to top professionals in Great Britain and Germany,
prepared the Wall Street presentations of two Asian and three
European corporations, and counseled four other companies involved
in takeover battles on three continents.
The results: In those 48 hours the front pages of The Wall Street
Journal, the Financial Times of London, the International HeraldTribune, and the news broadcasts of independent and state-owned TV
networks in seven countries carried stories on nine Hill & Knowlton
clients. In a sense, its actions and innovations affected business around
the world.
Hill & Knowlton maximizes its specialization by offering the
expertise of subsidiary units, Blanc & Otus and Socket PR in technology and Banner McBride in employee communication.
The rms social marketing unit has performed some impressive
client programs, including:
r Health coverage enrollment for Californias uninsured children.
r A Spanish-language public awareness program to combat drunk
driving and underage drinking.
r A hepatitis B screening program targeted to adults in the Asian
community.
Hill & Knowltons sports practice has worked with stars like Wayne
Gretzky, Shaquille ONeal, and Mark McGwire on star-branding
campaigns for clients Goodyear, Nike, and Adidas.
If you work in Hill & Knowltons worldwide health and pharmaceutical practice, you may be assigned to Europe, Africa, the Middle
East, Canada, the Asia/Pacic, or Latin America. And some of the issues you would deal with include introducing a new antiobesity pharmaceutical in Europe and Mexico or communicating to Canadians
the value of a new antismoking aid, or you may be assigned to the
practice of transnational issues management ranging from trade to
human rights to telecommunications and transportation.
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CHAPTER 4
Check out Hill & Knowltons Web site, www.hillandknowlton.

com, where you can post your resume and get information about
career opportunities worldwide in the practice area that interests you.
EDELMAN PUBLIC RELATIONS WORLDWIDE
As we show in this chapter and throughout the book, many large public relations rms are owned by other communications organizations.
Edelman is unique. Its the largest independent public relations agency,
the only one among the top 10, and the fth largest worldwide.
Founded in Chicago in 1952, Edelman opened in New York in
1960, Los Angeles in 1965, and started its rst international ofce in
London in 1967. Today, its network extends to ofces in Sacramento,
Paulo, Stockholm, Seoul, ShangSan Francisco, the Silicon Valley, Sao
hai, Singapore, and Sydney, with a total of 38 ofces worldwide.
Procter & Gambles Vidal Sassoon hair-styling products are global
brands. Edelman introduced them into the Chinese market with a
series of hair and fashion shows.
Edelman Financial Services helped Fidelity, the mutual fund and
nancial products rm, make its move in Germany and extended the
reach of Charles Schwabs products and services to consumers and
institutional investors.
The rms clients in the nancial area include Allstate, Cigna,
New York Life, and the Deutsche Bank.
Healthcare public relations is a sensitive practice area, combining
the exigencies of a products approval stage, launch marketing, consumer education, global strategy, product contamination, and other
crises. The stakes are huge, particularly with a new drug. It is not uncommon for a drug to have worldwide revenues of $1 billion. The rm
has worked on such well-known brands as Maxim (u pill), Claritin,
Advil, and Viagra.
Edelman gets involved with startup clients early on, then steers
them through the vicissitudes of the launch, a process that includes
working with industry analysts, trade magazine editors, and information technology conference and event organizers. Technology
represents more than 25% of Edelmans overall agency portfolio.
Only recently recognized as a public relations practice area by
Edelman and other PR rms, diversity marketing is a new specialization for an old issue. Today, Edelman Diversity Marketing has a
35
network of ofces in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Washington,

Atlanta, and Miami.
What is a typical assignment for this team? Reaching out to seasonal allergy sufferers in the Hispanic community earned both
Schering-Plough and Edelman a coveted Silver Anvil award for the
Claritin campaign.
Edelman has implemented employee engagement strategies in diverse situations. For ConAgra, a $24 billion food company with
80,000 employees worldwide, the agency developed a program enabling local communicators to share strategies and practical advice.
Most large corporations have in-house nancial communications
and investor relations staff. Edelman has been called in to supplement
this activity in acquisitions, mergers, and listing on the New York
Stock Exchange.
As shown in chapter 11, public affairs is a high-stakes practice. The
rm concerns itself with creation of and implementation of strategic
communications plans that inuence public opinion, promote regulatory and legislative initiatives, support litigation, and manage
issues.
All the giant PR rms in this chapter offer competitive compensation. They have to do this to attract talented people. Edelman has a
comprehensive benets plan, a 401(k) with company match, tuition
reimbursement, Edelman University for continuous learning opportunities, and a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
Edelmans internship program is a full-time commitment. Each
intern is assigned to a specic business area of expertise, based upon
his or her interest and the availability within the group or business area. At some locations, interns work on an Edel-Project that
enables them to work together to develop a comprehensive public
relations program for a hypothetical client. At the end of the program, interns present their completed projects to an internal review
committee.
Check out Edelman on the Web at www.edelman.com.
BSMG WORLDWIDE
To traverse its vast global territory, BSMG is broken up into eight

separate units. Adamson/BSMG, based in Brussels, with ofces in
three other European cities, specializes in public and regulatory affairs
and communications management. Then theres BSMG Worldwide,
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CHAPTER 4
Deutschland; BSMG Worldwide, UK; FRB/BSMG Worldwide, specializing in nancial communication; KRC/BSMG Worldwide, specializing in research; SawyerMiller+Company, an issues advertising group;
and Scotchbrook/BSMG Worldwide, a public relations consulting
rm in Asia.
The parent company, BSMG Worldwide, calls itself a communication rm that integrates the key disciplines of strategic consulting, public relations, marketing communications, public affairs,
investor relations attitudinal research, and advocacy advertising. If
all this sounds like MBA-speak, heres a case study of BSMGs
work.
Dunkin Donuts Rocket Man
Coffee is hotter than ever. From every other street corner to bookstores, specialty coffee shops are all over. But even though Dunkin
Donuts has been brewing a truly extraordinary cup of joe for nearly
50 years, it has encountered difculty distinguishing itself in the midst
of Americas coffee obsession.
Sound like a job for a superhero? BSMG Worldwide thought so:
We (BSMG Worldwide) needed a way to tell people and have them see
for themselvesthat Dunkin Donuts coffee is rich, robust . . . leaps
and bounds above the competition. We need to capitalize on Dunkin
Dounts heritage, bringing the brand to life in a fun, attention-getting
way. We needed Dunkin Donuts Rocket Manthe rst and only
coffee superhero.
In PRWEEKs Thirty Under Thirty selection for 2000, two

28-year-old BSMG staffers, Ilene Siemer and John Corey, made the
list. In 6 years with the rm, Siemer had risen to head of the youth division, where her clients included the milk mustache campaign, Kraft,
and Oscar Mayer. Corey was an assistant account executive at 23, and
in 5 years became senior managing director in charge of the rms
Chicago operation. These success stories are a testimonial to the two
Under Thirties, but also to BSMG Worldwide for nurturing their
talents. It is also a tribute to the rms outstanding training program,
Career Destinations.
What about BSMGs impressive client roster? Heres a representative list:
American Airlines
BP/Amoco
Bristol-Myers Squibb
GE Capital
Harley-Davidson
Hewlett-Packard
IBM
Johnson & Johnson
Kraft Foods
37
Microsoft
Minolta
Oscar Mayer
Pzer
Philip Morris
Procter & Gamble
Prudential
RJR Nabisco
SmithKline Beecham
The exclusivity factor within an industry doesnt seem to be a factor

in the top ranks of global PR. Within BSMGs client roster there are
eight pharmaceutical companies.
You can nd out about BSMG on the Web at www.bsmgworldwide.
com.
KETCHUM PUBLIC RELATIONS
Ketchum, the seventh-largest U.S. rm, has been a top creative

achiever in PR for many years. Today, it is owned by the Omnicom
Group, which is also the parent of Fleishman-Hillard, Porter Novelli
International, and the 16th-ranked U.S. public relations rm, Brodeur
Worldwide.
It has all of the resources of a top 10 rm, more than 1,200
employees in ofces worldwide, and big name clients. But Ketchum
asks to be evaluated on its achievements.
For fty years, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has
been awarding its Silver Anvils for outstanding achievement in various
practice areas of the industry. In 2000, Ketchum was the recipient of
nine Silver Anvils. One was in the category of special events for a
joint project for clients Pzer, Parke Davis, and the American Heart
Association. The subject: The Cholesterol Low Down.
Here is an overview of the winning citation:
America needed a cholesterol check-up. Almost 100 million Americans
registered cholesterol levels above the desirable 200 mg/dl in late 1997,
even though cholesterol education programs have been conducted for
years. Worse, 90 percent of adults didnt know that controlling lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) or bad cholesterol is the
38
CHAPTER 4
key to lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart disease. If

trends continue, by the year 2008 high cholesterol will put close to
110 million Americans at risk for developing heart diseasethe leading cause of death. So, cholesterol-lowering pharmaceutical leaders
Parke-Davis and Pzer partnered with the American Heart Association
to sponsor a multiyear series of special events called The Cholesterol
Low Down. Held in cities across the country, the events offer free
cholesterol screening, encourage Americans to know their cholesterol
number and goal, and motivate high screeners to see their doctors
and get to goal. Parke-Davis, Pzer, and the American Heart Association held a Cholesterol Summit to develop the campaigns messages,
encouraging participants to think of cholesterol as a vital sign of
heart health. A behavior modication component was created to help
drive consumers to see their doctors. The events have spurred over
16,000 cholesterol screenings in a year and a half. Over 105 million
media impressions have spread The Cholesterol Low Downs message.
Three celebrity spokespeopleRegis Philbin, Debbie Allen, and Dick
Clarkhave been instrumental in measurably increasing cholesterol
awareness and motivating consumers to seek help. A pre/post survey
after the year revealed a 23% increase in cholesterol level awareness,
and among those aware of The Cholesterol Low Down, nearly 30%
said they planned to see a doctor about getting their cholesterol to
healthy levels. Seventy-seven percent of The Cholesterol Low Down
participants with high cholesterol have enrolled in the behavior modication program.
The complete citation goes on to detail the research conducted

for the project: the planning, execution, and evaluation. Although
Ketchums campaign had a budget of $1,100,000, its results more
than merited the investment from its participants.
For the year 2000, in addition to winning nine Silver Anvils, a
notable achievement, the rm also garnered ve Cipra 2000 winners.
Ketchum breaks out its practice areas into 11 specializations that
include some of the basic ones such as crisis management, investor relations, and public affairs, and also include corporate social responsibility, Hispanic marketing, and African American markets group. But
beyond the boundaries of awards, numbers, and ofces from Chicago
to Shanghai, there are people. Ketchum nurtures its people with professional development programs, Road Scholarships, sabbaticals, and
all the tools of todays technology.
One such tool is MyKGN, a portal that lets Ketchum professionals,
clients, and partners personalize the information thats right for them.
39
News feeds, Web searches, knowledge libraries, and nancial information can be customized to provide only the information most essential to the individual user. According to Ketchum, MyKGN allows
everyone to create his or her own highly relevant digital dashboard.
Seek out Ketchum on the Internet at www.ketchum.com for an
insight into the seventh-largest PR agency in the world.
PORTER NOVELLI INTERNATIONAL
Porter Novelli International is the worlds third-largest public relations rm and the eighth-largest PR rm in the United States. The
agency specializes in these practice areas:
Food and nutrition
Consumer
Public affairs
Business to business
Social marketing
Health care
Technology
Corporate
Financial services
Porter Novelli denes social marketing as the harnessing of the

many disciplines of marketing to promote social change on behalf of
the worlds largest and most highly regarded NGO [nongovernmental
organizations], corporations, professional bodies, and government
agencies.
Porter Novelli was the International Public Relations Association
(IPRA) Golden World Awards Grand Prix Winner and won the Cipra
2000 award in the social marketing category with the Florida Truth
Campaign, an effort to stem the surging increase of teen smoking in
that state, which by 1998 had risen to 35%.
The rm and its client, the Florida Tobacco Pilot Program, faced
formidable opposition in the campaign. Although teens were aware
of the health risks of tobacco, industry manipulation and peer pressure contributed to the rising use.
First, the campaign conducted baseline surveys with 23,000
students 12 to 17 years of age, with the purpose of deriving data on
tobacco use, knowledge, attitudes, and behavior.
The objective of the campaign was to change youth attitudes and
reduce tobacco use. Porter Novelli would do this by creating a heavily
advertised and well-marketed antitobacco brand to rival the major
tobacco brands.
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CHAPTER 4
Print, radio, and TV ads were used with the same edgy humor and
high production values that the tobacco industry used to reach teens.
Conferences, seminars, and a Teen Tobacco Summit were mounted.
At the rst summit, in 1998, a grass-roots organization, Students
Working Against Tobacco (SWAT), was formed to launch the truth
(about tobacco) advertising campaign.
SWAT enlisted 25 celebrities who were antiteen smoking to sign a
pledge for the accurate depiction of tobacco use, aimed at the movie
industry. Magazines that carried tobacco ads were targeted. At one
point, teens tore tobacco ads from magazines and sent them back
to the tobacco companies with an orange neon Rejected, Rebuffed,
Returned! sticker on them. The package of ads included a letter
saying, We want you to know we are sick of being targeted with
manipulative messages that enlist sexy models, good friends, and good
times to glamorize tobacco use.
Another series of events, Big Tobacco on the Run, was conducted to spread the message to tobacco executives and magazines.
This aggressive-grass roots campaign resulted in a sharp drop in the
tobacco use among middle school students, and a somewhat smaller
drop among high schoolers.
The agencys truth campaign achieved wide coverage in print
and electronic media. It is an excellent example of the practice area
of social marketing.
In January 2000, Copithorne & Bellows, the worlds foremost PR
agency focused on technology, merged with Porter Novelli International to create the Porter Novelli Convergence Group. The group has
more than 400 employees in Europe, Asia/Pacic, and the Americas,
and annual billings exceeding $50 million. Porter Novellis Web site
is www.porternovelli.com.
OGILVY PUBLIC RELATIONS WORLDWIDE
David Ogilvy was a legendary gure in advertising, known for such

creative gems as the Hathaway man. Today, the brand he founded is
an international force in public relations, as well as advertising.
By the end of 2000, Ogilvy Public Relations was a top 10 PR
rm with 50 ofces in 45 markets and employed more than 1,100
professionals worldwide. And year on year, it has held onto top
clients like Glaxo Wellcome, IBM, Merck, Pzer, and Automatic Data
Processing.
41
Public relations agencies, like advertising agencies, have highs and

lows. The addition of a few blue-chip clients can turn it around for
an agency. And once the word gets out that an agency is hot, more
new business ows its way. Thats what happened to Ogilvy in 1999
and 2000. Lets take a closer look at this high achiever.
In the rareed atmosphere of multi-million-dollar yearly PR fees,
success depends on a number of factors, not least of which is momentum. Bob Seltzer, who came to the rm as CEO in 1997, made a number of important acquisitions that powered its PR engine. In 1998,
the company made a strategic growth move by buying a hot technology practice, San Francisco-based Alexander Communications. Now
this division is called Alexander Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide.
In 1999, Ogilvy acquired Feinstein Kean Healthcare, a Cambridge,
Massachusetts-based biotech public relations rm.
At this point, Ogilvy had a 70+ percentage gain in fees. It landed
new business from such formidable clients as Motorola, MinuteMaid, Lucent, the pharmaceutical heavyweight Novartis, and a bunch
of Internet-related accounts.
The agency had not established much of a reputation in entertainment PR until its recent acquisition of Baker, Winokur, Ryder, a rm
with a 21-year background in that specialization.
Under Seltzers reign, Ogilvy introduced a formal professional
development program, PLATO (Partners in Learning and Training
at Ogilvy), as well as a management training initiative.
Here are some highlights from Ogilvys practice areas.
Public Affairs Practice
Ogilvy PR public affairs professionals are world citizens. Their hats

hang in Washington, Brussels, and Beijing. For a coalition of Internet
companies called openNet, including America Online, Mindspring,
and hundreds of local Internet service providers, the rm supplied a
comprehensive media relations campaign that mobilized more than
900 local Internet service providers in order to inuence state and local
legislators, and resulted in the introduction of pro-access legislation
in 26 states and municipalities.
Health and Medicine Practice
Another Ogilvy PR strength is social marketing. The company is

well known for designing programs that succeed in promoting
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CHAPTER 4
health-related behavior change and motivating community action.

For more than a decade, it has provided communications support
to the AIDS and HIV prevention campaigns of the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Ogilvy also helped women
make difcult decisions about contraception, prepared young adults
to face the facts about sexually transmitted diseases (STD) treatment,
and guided communities in taking on the issue of preventing drug
abuse. In addition, the rm supports national communications initiatives for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in such areas
as hypertension, cholesterol, asthma, obesity, sleep disorders, stroke,
and Parkinsons disease.
Ogilvy E-Brand
Traditional brands are developed over decades. For many Internet

startups, the make-or-break period can be measured in months. Thats
why Ogilvy PR and Alexander Ogilvy developed Ogilvy e-brand. Its
a suite of services that fast-tracks brand development and ensures that
key activities, from the launch of a product or service to the corporate
IPO, become branding opportunities.
Corporate Practice
For BP Amoco, the worlds third-largest energy company, Ogilvy

PR is an integral member of its 360-degree communications team,
supporting a worldwide brand transformation. By developing brand
strategy and communicating it to the companys more than 15,000
retail partners and 80,000 employees, the agency is helping guide BP
Amoco through the launch of its new identity and the transition of the
company.
Contact Ogilvy from their Web site: www.ogilvypr.com.
GOLIN/HARRIS INTERNATIONAL
Golin/Harris International, an arm of the Interpublic Group, along

with Weber Shandwick Worldwide, has been in the PR business for
43
almost 50 years. Headquartered in Chicago, the rm operates in

North America, Europe, and Asia and represents more than 4,000
multinational, regional and local clients in 110 countries around the
world. Its total billings exceed $108 million.
Golin/Harris boasts that its client list is smaller than most rms its
size because its people work on fewer accounts. This approach also
allows senior management to get more deeply involved with its clients,
a group that includes Bayer, Daimler/Chrysler, Gerber, McDonalds,
Nintendo, Owens Corning, and Texas Instruments.
Golin/Harris also owns several public relations and marketing communications rms that operate under different brand names. They
include:
r The MWW Group, specializing in Internet and technology marketing, investor relations, and a half-dozen other practice areas.
r Mindstorm Communications, a full-service public relations and
marketing communications rm focusing on e-business, telecommunications, and digital entertainment clients.
r TSI Communications Worldwide, concentrating on strategic marketing development in the practice areas of business-to-business,
consumer, and Internet.
r Springpoint, another Golin/Harris subsidiary in London, a leading
brand strategy and corporate identity design consultancy.
Golin/Harris offers paid internships. Link to its application page
and follow the instructions on how to submit your resume. Indicate
which ofce location interests you.
A scan of the rms job openings at the time of this writing yielded
account executive and account manager jobs in places like Houston,
Hong Kong, Chicago, London, and Frankfurt.
The Golin/Harris Web site is www.golinharris.com.
CONCLUSION
In focusing on the top 10 counsel rms, we should consider that public relations competes with advertising for talent because many of
the job assignments are similar. And, of course, the issue is further
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CHAPTER 4
complicated by the joint ownership of large ad agencies and public relations rms. As a result, the major PR rms are making very
attractive offers to new people in terms of the working environment,
benets, training and development, and internships.
It is also important to understand that organizations need PR rms
to furnish the marketing and communications expertise they cannot
render economically within their own structures.
CHAPTER 5
Life on the Fast

Track at a Small
Public Relations Firm
eve seen how the big guys operateas many as a thousand employees per rm, Fortune 500 clients, ofces in
Silicon Valley, Shanghai, and other world capitals, and
million-dollar-a-year fees.
But surely not all PR agencies t into this rmament. According
to the Council of Public Relations Firms 2000 industry ranking, only
44 rms had billings exceeding $10 million a year, whereas another
200 rms billed over $1 million.
Big or small, they all hustle, whether the situation calls for lobbying
a clients interests in Washington, D.C., showing the brightest face in
a litigation, or introducing a new hand-held computer at the annual
Consumer Electronics Show.
Formed in 1996, Steven Style heads an aggressive, six-person New
York-based PR rm that bears his name. Styles annual billings run
about $1 million a year, derived from nine clients. Heres a look at
stafng at the Steven Style Group:
Principal and president (Style)
Account supervisors (2)
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CHAPTER 5
Account executives (2)

Account coordinator (1)
From time-to-time, the agency employs interns. Style has more than
15 years in marketing, the two account supervisors 8 to 10 years in
large PR agencies or on the client side of the business, and the account
executives have similar backgrounds but less experience.
When Style needs new people, he searches online job boards such as
hotjobs.com, as well as classied ads in The New York Times. Universities in the New York area are a dependable resource for internship
candidates.
The salaries at top 10 rms are high. The Style Group pays competitive salaries plus fully paid benets and perks, such as the use of
the corporate apartment in chic South Beach, Miami, for vacations.
The question of new business is paramount in any discussion on PR
agency management. Clients are not forever. Here, the big guys have
an advantage. Many are part of advertising agency conglomerates and
obviously share contacts. The giants also have multiple ofces abroad
for servicing global accounts. In the public affairs arena, for example,
most of the 10 top rms have Washington, D.C., representation. They
also commit large budgets for new business solicitation and retain
staff who work only on developing new clients.
Which brings us back to small PR rms like the Steven Style Group:
How does it attract and retain new clients? The vast majority of new
business comes from client referrals. Then, too, press coverage in business and trade publications serves as a means for branding. Branding
refers to promotion of the rms name as an established entity in the
business.
And, as shown throughout this book, PR is about reputation, an
issue that dominates any discussion of the merits of an agency.
STEVEN STYLES CAREER PATH
Style received a bachelors degree in graphic design from New Yorks

School of Visual Arts. During the 1980s East Village/New York City
art scene, he ran a postcontemporary art gallery and nightclub combined with a celebrity party promotion business. We dont know if he
made money in these ventures, but he did gain great contacts when he
was proled in major media outlets including Town & Country, The
New York Times, the Washington Post, and Interview magazine.
LIFE ON THE FAST TRACK AT STEVEN STYLE GROUP
47
Later, Style parlayed his media relations skills into a job as a publicist at the progressive Brooklyn Academy of Music. From there, he
went to a midsize PR agency where he remained for 8 years, rising
to the post of senior vice-president. In 1996, he launched his own
business, the Steven Style Group.
A LOOK AT THE STYLE GROUPS ACCOUNT LIST
None of Styles accounts are in the Fortune 500 category, yet some are
high-prole names in the new technology. Heres a brief rundown:
r Discovery Kids is a 24-hour digital network from the Discovery
Channel. Some of its offshoots are the popular reality series
Outward Bound, Croc Files, and Lonely Planet.
r KNEX, a leading toy manufacturer.
r Lincoln Logs, a building set thats been around since 1916.
r Sony Wonder, the childrens and family division of Sony Music.
r Silver Dolphin Books, a major publisher of interactive and educational childrens books.
r Escient, a company that develops products that merge Internet
power with home entertainment devices.
r SpringBoard Music, a digital music company.
In addition to these retainer clients, the Style company offers services to others on an assignment or product basis.
What is the challenge for an operation such as the Style Group?
Todays public relations involves marketing, as well as communications. Results are based not only on how many clips or hits a
client receives, but an agency is also expected to deliver result-driven
promotional programs using traditional and cyber marketing. This
becomes particularly important when representing high-tech products or services.
Of course, when a client pays its PR rm fees of $8,000 to $10,000
a month or more, consideration is often made to bringing the function
in-house, where one or two people devote full time to an assignment.
The PR rm responds that a companys small in-house department
cannot possibly have the breadth of media contacts that a public
relations agency may have developed through the years in its own
practice.
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CHAPTER 5
Meanwhile, accounts come and go, so the public relations rm

hustles along, pitching new business to replace what it may lose. Small
PR agencies can boost their business by gaining special expertise in
certain areas and applying this knowledge to win new accounts. The
Style Group, for example, has a number of youth-oriented clients. To
gain maximum exposure for these accounts, it has cultivated many
strong relationships in this media category.
Its advantageous, for example, to know the right people at a magazine like Teen People, with a circulation of 1.6 million, plus its substantial pass-along audience; or Teen, with 2 million subscribers; and
Fox Kids Magazine, with a huge 3.5 million circulation.
For major clients, theres a clear advantage to dealing with the top
rms. The large PR rms proled in the previous chapter have ofces
in many U.S. cities and abroad. Yet a small rm like the Style Group,
based in New York, must also reach out for clients in other cities to
grow its business. Four of the rms clients are located in Indianapolis,
a city with a bustling economy and a burgeoning technology sector.
One reason, perhaps, that clients are drawn to a New York-based
rm is its proximity to the national media. Style communicates with
his Indianapolis accounts by phone, computer, and regular visits.
The Steven Style Group is a good example of a small public relations
rm that has succeeded in this highly competitive eld.
CHAPTER 6
An Inside Look at
Corporate Affairs at
the Bank of America
ake two big banks, mix them carefully together, and, with the
right ingredients, create one giant. That single entity, the Bank
of America, formed in 1998 with the merger of Charlotte,
North Carolina-based Nations Bank and San Francisco-based Bank
of America, is, at this writing, the largest geographic retail banking
franchise in the United States. The combined organization employs
140,000 associates (the banks term for employees) and by 2000 had
become the largest geographic retail banking franchise in the nation,
doing business with more than one in three U.S. households in the
23 states in which it operates, and with more than 2 million U.S.
businesses.
Internationally, the bank does business in 190 countries and has
ofces in 38 of these foreign locations.
The numbers are awesome, even for the banking business. In 2000,
the Bank of America had operating earnings of $7.86 billion on
revenues of more than $33 billion.
49
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CHAPTER 6
The bank is in seven nancial service areas:

Consumer Products. Bank of America has 4,500 banking centers,
13,000 ATMs, 3 million online customers, and holds more than
400,000 mortgages.
Asset Management. The bank has almost $300 billion of assets
under management and runs mutual funds with more than $100
billion in assets.
Card and Payment Services. The bank is a major player in the credit
and debit card business. Much of this activity has migrated from paper
to electronic channels.
Serving Small Businesses. The bank does business with 2 million
of the 25 million small businesses in America and more than 30,000
middle market companies.
Internet and E-Commerce. The many customers who use the banks
electronic billing and payment service can virtually eliminate checks
by going online.
Investment Banking. The bank holds more than $27 billion in
prime brokerage custodial assets for 700 clients. Bank of America
was ranked 10th among mergers and acquisition (M&A) advisors in
2000.
Serving Large Corporations and the Institutional Market. The
banks role in this high-prole arena is in integrating equity securities. It combines mergers and acquisitions with its debt capital-raising
activities.
Now we deal with various aspects of conducting a corporate affairs
program to serve the multifaceted needs of this global organization.
THE ROLE OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS AT THE BANK OF AMERICA
The 250-person corporate affairs team follows a prescribed series of

business processes in carrying out its assignments:
AN INSIDE LOOK AT CORPORATE AFFAIRS
51
r Identify business partner needs. In the banks lexicon a business

partner is a senior-level company executive in some division of the
bank: that is, retail banking, credit cards, Internet and e-commerce,
investment banking, charitable contributions, or government and
public policy.
r Research and analyze the project or problem.
r Develop a strategy.
r Implement the strategy, budget it, and gain management approval.
r Measure the results.
The corporate affairs team has four centers of expertise. Heres
what they do:
1. Relationship managementHelps the banks senior-level business
partners achieve various goals and objectives in the lines of business the bank supports. An example: Promote investment banking
services in the Far East or come up with a program to reward retail
customers for bringing in more of their business.
2. Public policyAids in the continuing role of developing the banks
public policy position and advocacy strategy. The scope of such
a program may reach out to federal and state capitals, as well as
overseas. Public policy efforts may call on the use of in-house and
outside lobbyists.
3. Charitable contributionsWith an annual budget of about $100
million, contributions at the Bank of America are higher than those
of any other U.S. nancial institution. The formidable assignment
of administering this huge cash grant falls into the domain of the
Bank of America Foundation.
4. Support servicesProvides effective and efcient systems and
administrative support; includes clearinghouse to assist business
partners and associates with basic requests for products, services,
and information.
Publications Produced by Corporate Affairs In-House
Corporate Affairs edits and produces three regular publications. We

offer a look at each.
Bank of America World. This full-color, eight-page publication is
an outstanding example of employee communications, a subject we
cover in chapter 9. A recent issue dealt with these subjects:
52
CHAPTER 6
FIGURE 6.1 (Courtesy Bank of America Corporate Affairs)
r A report on design of four Internet portals to help customers and

clients do business with the bank online.
r The banks top-ranking in a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) banking industry report card.
r An increase in the banks quarterly stock dividend.
r The banks rise to number one in deposit accounts.
53
FIGURE 6.1 (continued )
Bank of America Leader. Twenty-four thousand of the banks leaders worldwide receive this two-page publication as a printed copy and
online. It deals with management issues such as temporary stafng,
expense reports, and disability legislation.
Bank of America Associate. All of the banks U.S. associates
(employees) receive this benets newsletter. Its content is nuts-andbolts information about holiday pay, credit cards, and discounts.
54
CHAPTER 6
55
A CLOSER LOOK AT BANK OF AMERICAS

CHARITABLE PROGRAM
The subjects of public interest and public service are dealt with in
chapter 12. This component of public relations embraces many subareas, such as support for the arts, corporate social responsibility,
education, and community relations. When we analyze its budget of
$100 million a year, we realize the broad challenge the foundation
faces in the decision making and execution of this program.
Where does the money go? It is divided among the areas of education, health and human services, community development, and arts
and culture. The emphasis in the foundations program is serving the
needs of local communities. Thus, a decentralized decision-making
process prevails.
When awarding its grants, the foundations consideration is based
on community need, diversity, and equity and access to opportunity.
This process also takes into account literacy rates, poverty levels, and
other socioeconomic factors.
The work of distributing and managing the implementation of the
largest nancial services philanthropic foundation in the country is a
group operation headed, at this writing, by Lynn Drury, a corporation
affairs executive. She is also the president of the Bank of America
Foundation.
Drury has a team of charitable contributions executives and specialists, grant analysts, and initiatives specialists. This group is charged
with decision making on:
r Establishing corporate charitable contributions priorities.
r Evaluating and assessing charitable contributions needs.
r Allocating and managing charitable contributions budgets.
r Communicating with grant recipients.
r Overseeing implementation of tactical plans to communicate grants
to target audiences.
r Measuring the impact of charitable contributions outcomes and
reporting results.
Examples of Foundation Grants
One example in the education area is the Bank of America Abilities Scholarship Program, which receives up to $200,000 to provide
students with disabilities equal access to higher education.
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CHAPTER 6
FIGURE 6.2 This 32-page Annual Report 2000 of the Bank of America Foundation affords a look at the banks educational and cultural outreach programs.
(Courtesy Bank of America Corporate Affairs)
57
Initiatives such as this foster not only personal growth, but also economic growth for the communities in which the bank does business.
In 2000, the foundation contributed $100,000 to the Yosemite
Fund, a California initiative dedicated to preserving and protecting
the park and enhancing visitors experiences.
Another major foundation area, promoting cultural outreach,
offers these examples:
r Purchase of the Hewitt Collection of 55 works by African American
artists and touring the collection around the country. In 2000, the
exhibition was seen by 750,000 people.
r Support for the Mexican Heritage Corporations arts and cultural
programs.
r A gift of $200,000 to the South Carolina Governors School for
the Arts and Humanities to fund teacher training and curriculum
for the states arts education programs, which are available to all
students via a digital satellite system.
JOBS IN CORPORATE AFFAIRS AT THE BANK OF AMERICA
We have offered a brief look at the functions of the corporate affairs

department. Many of the job assignments in this department t under
the same structure and denition as traditional public relations.
Salaries are comparable to those paid by other corporations, with
larger salaries paid in major metropolitan centers.
The Corporate Affairs Leaders and Their Teams
The president of the Bank of America Foundation is also the principal executive of the corporate affairs department, with a staff of
about 250 people. Six teams with discrete responsibilities report to
this executive. Here is a breakdown on their departments:
Relationship Executives and Managers. Generally, relationship
management refers to the connection between an organization and
its key publics. As it is used at the bank, relationship executives and
managers are assigned to each of its major business units: consumer/
commercial, e-commerce, or asset management.
Most work is triggered when a need/risk is identied by a bank
business executive who might be in federal government relations,
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CHAPTER 6
charitable contributions, or communications. Relationship management helps business partners meet their objectives, develop strategies,
and measure and report results.
Public Policy Executive. Helps business partners reach and inuence internal and external audiences. Supervises a team of issues and
outreach specialists and lobbyists.
Federal Government Relations Executive. Similar function to that
of the public policy executive, but operates on the federal level, and
supervises federal lobbyists.
Charitable Contributions Executive. Provides oversight and strategic counsel and develops and sets charitable contributions corporate
strategy objectives. Runs a department of corporate affairs professionals that include charitable contributions specialists, grant analysts, and initiative specialists.
Communications Executive. Employs a large team of internal and
external communications professionals, including media relations
specialists, writers, graphic designers, Web publishers, project
coordinators, editors, audiovisual specialists, and communications
generalists.
Support Services Executive. Ensures that corporate affairs has effective systems and administrative support. Manages a team that includes process assessment manager, measurement specialists, database
specialists, process analysts, tools and technology manager, and clearinghouse manager.
Technology Team. Offers a wide range of personal computing,
telecommunication, technical project management, and technical consultation. The group not only has the ability to recommend the most
viable technology-related tool, but also can implement a path to make
the corporate affairs technology transition as simple as possible. The
tech team supports all issues regarding hardware and software.
Responsibilities also include providing clients with technical support
and training, whether directly or by referral to a suitable internal or
vendor-based source. The team furnishes clients with expert technical
59
consultation based on available technology that falls within guidelines

of the Bank of America Technology Services Unit and information
security.
SUCCESS STORY
Juliet Don made it to a prominent spot at the Bank of America while

still in her twenties. Today, she is vice-president and media relations
specialist in corporate affairs at Bank of America, responsible for supporting proactive and reactive media relations efforts in California.
Don joined Bank of America in 1994, working in the San Francisco
and Los Angeles ofces as an intern reporting to the banks corporate communications executive. In 1995, she became an associate
commercial business public relations ofcer, and from 1996 to 1998
she was a corporate public relations ofcer, later becoming a business
public relations ofcer. Don was promoted to assistant vice-president
in 1999 until assuming her present post.
Don received a bachelors degree in business administration from
the University of Southern California in 1995. She is a member of the
Public Relations Society of America.
CHAPTER 7
Public Relations
for Diverse
Organizations
e have dened the role of the counsel rm and the way public
relations works at the nations largest bank. In this chapter
we examine how PR is carried out at other organizations.
Of course, no two organizations have the same objectives; therefore,
their emphases vary greatly.
PR FOR AN INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
Judith Burrell is the senior vice-president/communications at the

Newspaper Association of America (NAA), the nonprot membership
organization of the $54-plus-billion newspaper industry. Its members publish 90% of the daily newspaper circulation in the United
States.
In her role, Burrell is responsible for the NAAs editorial operations,
including two magazines, seven newsletters, and a Web site; advertising sales for all publications, products, services, and conferences;
creative services; the industrys online research service; and public
relations.
60
PUBLIC RELATIONS FOR DIVERSE ORGANIZATIONS
61
One of the publications in Burrells domain, Presstime, is published

monthly for the NAAs membership and offers in-depth analyses of
events, trends, and strategies. TechNews, another NAA publication,
zeroes in on newspaper operations, developments, issues, and initiatives to improve day-to-day operations.
House and membership publications are a function of the communications and PR departments in many organizations.
The NAA also has an Information Resource Center to serve its
member newspapers with a full range of information services including newspaper industry research, business and technical research, and
online database services.
Government affairs and public policy are signicant to the NAAs
operation. The issues here include:
Telemarketing.
Database protection.
Newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership.
First Amendment issues.
Postal legislation.
OSHA ergonomics standard.
Many of the NAAs activities we list here are not public relations in
a strict sense, yet in many organizations they fall under this umbrella.
PR FOR A PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the American Psychological

Association (APA) is the largest scientic and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the worlds
largest association of psychologists. The APA membership includes
more than 159,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants,
and students. We look at some of the APA activities through headlines
of their recent press releases:
r Conference Explores How Interactive Technologies Inuence Child
Development.
r APA Supports Passage of Legislation for Ofce-Based Treatment of
Heroin Addiction.
r Womens Worry About Being At Risk for Certain Cancers Not As
High As Expected, Study Finds.
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CHAPTER 7
These releases emanated from the APA public affairs ofce and typically refer to articles written about the subject. Contact information
is given for the lead author of a particular article.
The APA conducts a media referral service for the news media to
reach experts in a wide variety of issues.
The organization is also active in the areas of public policy and
advocacy. It implements these programs through the public interest
arm of its public policy ofce. Some examples of their correspondence:
r Letter to Senators Grassley and Kennedy in support of the Family
Opportunity Act of 2000.
r Letter to the House Commerce Committee on the use of buprenorphine in the treatment of heroin addiction.
r Letter of commendation to Surgeon General David Satcher for his
report Mental Health: A Report to the Nation.
r Letter to the Centers for Disease Control National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control, offering comments on the Draft Priorities
for FY 2001 Injury Research.
The APAs Public Interest Directorate prepares programs that address issues related to aging; AIDS; children, youth, and families; disability; gays and lesbians; violence; and urban initiatives.
PR FOR AN EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION OR INSTITUTION
A national teachers organization, a college or university, and a state

or local school board have similar objectives: to present a favorable
image of the group or institution and to deal with issues involving
it with its publics. These may be legislatures, parents, alumni, or
foundations.
Colleges and universities use PR extensively. At most institutions
the press ofce deals with the functions of fundraising, giving awards,
making policy changes, and publicizing appointments. Because sports
are a prominent activity at most colleges, there is usually a sports
information ofce apart from the schools primary press operation.
Here is an example of PR in action at a state educational association. Concerned with the problems of lower educational standards, a
high dropout rate, and overcrowded classes, the State of Washington
Education Association, primarily a teachers group, embarked on a
blitz campaign to increase public awareness of this condition. An
63
outside PR counsel rm was engaged to supplement the efforts of the

associations own PR staff.
The rst step was to identify the publicslegislators, the business
community, and the mediaand then research the issue in depth. A
press release was sent to 365 newspaper, radio, and TV outlets, along
with a photograph of a typically crowded classroom. Accompanying
the release was a can of sardines with a label reading, Do our children
deserve to be packed like this in school? Ads in various media tied
in to this theme.
Direct mail was used as a follow-up. More than 100 speeches were
delivered by the groups leaders. Media coverage of the entire effort
was extensive. The result: a 9% increase in public awareness of the
problem and a large additional appropriation from the legislature for
the states education program.
PR FOR ADVOCACY GROUPS
There are thousands of advocacy groups, at least one for every possible interest. One well-known organization is the Sierra Club, with a
membership of 600,000. Public relations is central to the groups primary role in protecting the environment. It achieves this objective by
communication with the public and decision makers on such issues as:
Stop sprawl: end runaway growth.
Protect Americas wildlands.
End commercial logging in national forests.
Protect water from factory farm pollution.
Global warming.
Human rights.
Population stabilization.
Responsible trade.
The Sierra Club also publishes the highly acclaimed Sierra
Magazine.
Another example of an advocacy group is the Humane Farming
Association, which seeks humane treatment for animals on large factory farms. It conducts an information program through advertising
and direct-mail campaigns.
Earth Day Network is yet another advocacy group spreading the
word through public relations on protecting the environment. Its
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CHAPTER 7
initiatives led the way to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water
Act, and the Endangered Species Act.
With the aid of the Internet, the network has linked activists around
the world to its program.
PR FOR RELIGIOUS GROUPS

AND CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS
Many of the PR operations we have just discussed also apply to

religious groups and charitable organizations. The Religious Communications Congress of PR Professionals, which serves all denominations, publishes the Religious PR Handbook. There are a number
of suborganizations and publications in this eld. Many PR people
involved with religious groups are trained in theology.
A charitable organization deals with dozens of publics, including
volunteers, donors, staff, clients members, the media, governmental
agencies, legislators, community groups, related organizations, the
headquarters ofce, afliates and eld ofces, and foundations.
To get its message across, a charitable organization uses news and
video releases, leaets and brochures, newsletters, speeches, press
conferences, meetings and conventions, opinion polls, exhibits and
displays, legislative bulletins, special events, and, of course, the
Internet.
According to Sunshine Janda, senior vice-president of United Way
of America, charitable organizations need PR practitioners because
of the huge impact on these organizations of the new societal trends,
and competition for limited resources and volunteers. She concludes
that not-for-prot PR is big business with a lot at stake.1
PR IN A GOVERNMENT AGENCY
In chapter 11 we deal with public affairs and lobbying. These are

primarily efforts of government intervention on behalf of corporations and other organizations. On the government side are the people
whose concern is promoting and publicizing the activity of their
federal, state, and local agency, all of whom use and practice PR.
Practically every ofcial above the rank of police lieutenant has a
press spokesperson who sends out press releases, conducts interviews,
65
and writes speeches for appointed ofcials. In addition, in the U.S.

Congress, each senator and representative has a press aide.
If you read a big-city daily newspaper, consider its front page. Many
of the news stories emanate from the press ofces of various government agencies: federal, state, and local.
At times, a federal or local agency will join with a public relations
rm on a particular assignment. An example from the Cipra 2000
competition is the campaign of the Washington, D.C., Department of
Health, Administration for HIV/AIDS. For this program, the department contracted with Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, one of the
top 10 PR rms we highlighted in chapter 4.
The Washington, D.C., area has one of the highest numbers of
AIDS cases in the nation, with African American women leading the
statistic. Previous efforts to reach this group effectively had failed.
The D.C. Department of Health and the Ogilvy rm came up with
an ingenious ConPact that looked like a beauty compact but instead
contained a condom and an educational insert. Ten thousand were
distributed to beauty salons in the DC area.
The salons in the program were very cooperative and agreed to
distribute rell condoms to their customers. Calls to an AIDS hotline increased 20% during the months of distribution, and safer sex
dialogues at salons spurred the programs success.
Nearly 45 news stories broke about the unique program, and future coverage was planned. As a result of the publicity, calls came
to the group from more than 50 health departments and nonprot
organizations eager to originate the program in their areas.
At the federal level, all agencies maintain large press ofces to handle the demands of the media and the public for information on their
activities. Most have Web sites to further expedite this process.
HOW OTHER ORGANIZATIONS PURSUE ACTIVE PR PROGRAMS
The American Institute of Architects is a national group representing

the interests of 55,000 architects in the United States. Its PR arm
provides information on architectural design and practice, housing
and urban issues, and designing with environmentally safe products.
The National Association of Social Workers is a 130,000-member
group that offers information on social work practices in the United
States and abroad.
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CHAPTER 7
The Society of Professional Journalists is a national organization

that disseminates comments on press matters, including referrals on
libel and freedom-of-information issues.
Add to the list of organizations with PR departments many others
in the nonprot sector. It is estimated that there are 1.4 million nonprots in the United States. The majority are small in size, yet most
maintain a public relations arm to promote their activities.
THE MANY FACES AND TITLES OF PR PEOPLE
When the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) published the

Public Relations Journal, it included a list of newly accredited members. Here is a random list of job titles taken from the October 1990
edition. Note the diversity of assignments for PR people not employed
by PR counsel rms:
Public Affairs Manager
Automotive Components Group
Ford Motor Company
University Relations Director
Lehigh University
Director Community Relations
Catholic Social Services
Director Public Relations
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Director Communications and Marketing
Oregon Afliate
American Heart Association
Director Marketing Publications and Editorial Services
Unisys Corporation
Manager Corporate Communications
Portland General Electric Corporation
Press Secretary Governors Ofce
State of Oklahoma
Information Representative
IBM
Houston, Texas
Communications Director
National Shooting Sports Foundation
Director Public Relations

Society Expedition Cruises
Manager Public Relations
Capital Blue Cross
Public Relations Coordinator
Columbus (Ohio) Museum of Art
Looking for a job in PR? Consider all these options.
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CHAPTER 8
Getting the Ink:

Media Practice,
Media Placement,
and Media Relations
he news media is by far the most powerful delivery vehicle in

the communications spectrum. A positive news story about a
young tech company in the The Wall Street Journal can boost
its stock 15 to 20% in a single day. An article about a new drug
in a medical journal can generate follow-up stories in the consumer
press and can also bring thousands of requests for samples from
practitioners.
We offered a basic denition of media relations in chapter 3. Here,
we tackle this singularly important component in greater detail.
Public relations veteran Howard R. Mitchell III summed up the
essence of media relations.1 Media relations programs should sell
the editorial community on the informational value of a company
(or organization), its people, and its products. As in any marketing
effort, successful media relations depends on building an authentic
rapport with the target audience (reporter and editors) while giving
them something they can genuinely use.
Mitchell went on to list some of the typical tasks of a media relations program, which are to:
68
GETTING THE INK: MEDIA PRACTICE
69
r Develop corporate or product positioning strategies for specic media outlets.

r Plan photo and editorial opportunities for use in the media and develop editorial ideas to t a publications or other mediums special
promotions.
r Develop news and feature releases for print and electronic media.
r Gain favorable product reviews.
r Place articles: case histories, editorials, features, how to stories,
rst-person angles, and so on.
r Position client as an expert source for broad news and feature
coverage.
r Execute media events, media tours, and promotions.
r Collect and analyze media coverage.
HOW MEDIA RELATIONS PROFESSIONALS BUILD

RELATIONSHIPS TO DELIVERY THEIR MESSAGE
Each year, the PRSA holds its national conference. In the March 2001
conference, the organization conducted a one-day seminar on the fundamental subject of media relations. The primary role of the seminar
was to present techniques to media relations professionals for working with both print and electronic media to help them develop media
relationships. Some key subjects of the seminar were:
r The news media and its changing nature: competing for audiences;
the new media in cyberspace, how reporters work to gather
news.
r Developing the media/public relations relationship: initiating and
scheduling communications, understanding media requirements.
r Elements of newsworthiness: making an event a story, building
news value with themes and messages.
r Packaging and targeting your story: print versus electronic media,
distribution outlets and decisions.
r Media interview and media events: setting objectives and allocating
resources, preparing and executing the plan, managing the event
and the message, evaluating the results, next steps.
r Earning credibility/respect from top management: supporting the
companys objectives, proving program results.
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CHAPTER 8
From the subjects of this one seminar, we can readily see the sophisticated nature of media relations, whether practiced within an
organization or at a PR counsel rm.
Now we focus on some of the individual elements of media
relations.
THE PRESS RELEASE OR NEWS RELEASE
The press or news release is at the heart of media relations.

The Wall Street Journal receives about 6,000 press releases a week.
Many of these are two or three pages long. The Associated Press,
the major news agency, receives about 1,000 releases a day. How can
the staffs of these media sources possibly nd time to read all this
material? Experienced media relations people are well aware of this
competition for placement of stories and strive to avoid the wastebasket with a number of techniques. One is brevity. A 200-word news
story has a far better chance of being read by the editor and reporters
beyond the lead paragraph. Another is the quality of the writing.
Todays press or news release is most likely transmitted electronically. The American Heart Association (AHA) is a leading health
organization whose primary objective is ghting heart disease and
stroke. A search of its Web site at the time of this writing yielded the
subject headings of the organizations press releases for that year. Here
are the titles of some releases the AHA issued in November 2000:
r Food in ight ghts fainting spells and heart attacks.
r Three-minute skin test measures cholesterol levels.
r Low estrogen linked to heart attack in premenopausal women.
r Heavy meals may trigger heart attacks.
r High blood pressure gene also linked to obesity.
Lets look at the elements of one American Heart Association press
release.
This report, delivered at an AHA meeting, makes news: the link of
a gene to obesity, and the effect of the gene on White individuals with
a sedentary lifestyle.
Press releases such as this one receive wide coverage because it is
of interest to health, medical, and science editors in the print and
broadcast media.
71
FIGURE 8.1 This press release is a sure shot to be picked up by the media by
virtue of its subject matter, the relationship of high blood pressure and obesity.
It was issued by the American Heart Association at a press conference in New
Orleans in November 2000, but was also distributed to health editors and the
general press. (Courtesy American Heart Association)
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CHAPTER 8
We should note a few other things about this release. First, the
contact names are listed at the top of the rst page. Also listed are the
names of the authors of the study, who may be reached for interviews
through the AHAs media relations department.
The Elements of a Good Press Release
A good press release such as the one for the AHA should read the way
a good news or feature story reads. The lead paragraph here is only
73
35 words long, yet it synthesizes the whole report. The busy editor or
reporter needs to merely read it to know whether to go further.
The release should be just long enough to cover the subject. Short
paragraphs make for easy reading. Here, the longest paragraph is only
ve lines. If an editor chooses to do a 100-word synopsis, it should
be easily done from the release.
The release should be written in nontechnical language unless it is
meant for technical or scientic journals. In this press release it is, of
course, necessary to use such language as allele and genotype.
A tailor-made or exclusive press release should be written to the
needs and style of the reporter or editor who will use it. A press release
must express a point of view that hasnt been widely expounded elsewhere. The recipient in the media must often make an instant decision
on its value as news.
But Is It News, and Pitching to the Right Catcher
Many PR professionals have provided answers to the question,

When is a press release news? Philip Lesly said its news when
it contains one or more of the major ingredients of human interest,
such as when it:
r Is novel.
r Relates to famous persons.
r Is directly important to great numbers of people.
r Involves conict.
r Involves mystery or crime.
r Is considered condential.
r Pertains to the future.
r Is romantic or sexy.
r Is funny.2
To test these news qualications, examine the front page of your
daily newspaper. Many of the local and national political pieces
reached that newspaper through press releases and press conferences.
Also, many of the interviews in the paper were generated by media
relations people who pitched the idea to the paper.
Those in the PR business call this practice pitching stories. Stories, or news, are what media relations people have to sell to the
media. The effective pitching of a story requires consummate skill.
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CHAPTER 8
If youre a Fortune 500 company and you have a dramatic nancial

turnaround, the job of placing that story is far easier than it might be
if you represented a defense contractor cutting jobs.
A major nancial story may be reported on by the Associated Press
and distributed to all its newspapers and broadcast clients for release.
The impact of such a story on the nancial pages of a major newspaper or broadcast nancial news service is far-reaching. It is read by
stockholders, brokers, potential investors, customers, dealers, suppliers, employees, and competitors. The feature pages, as well, are
typically developed from the pitches of media relations people.
The Exclusivity Factor and Other Woes
Very often it is the media relations persons judgment to sell an exclusive story to a newspaper, magazine, or broadcast or online source.
He or she will make it clear on the release itself and in conversation
with the reporter or editor that it is exclusive. The media may then
elect to go with the story or reject it if its subject does not warrant coverage beyond a brief mention. In the latter case, the media relations
person can submit it as an exclusive to another source or send it out
to all the media.
Important newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal, The New
York Times, and the Washington Post will often run exclusive pieces.
Where a media relations person runs into trouble is when an
exclusive is pitched to a number of different media sources. In the
business thats called double or triple planting. Most editors deplore it, but others dont care where and how they get their story
ideas.
Joel Pomerantz, a veteran PR practitioner, airs the frustrations of
media relations people. He decries the disdainful attitudes toward
PR that some media people harbor.
Here are some cases in point:
r You suggest to a reporter a story idea involving your client, provide
a great deal of background material, and give the writer many leads
to esh out the piece. The article appears without any mention of
your client.
r You go to great lengths to make the CEO of an important client
company available for an urgently solicited interview that consumes
merely 45 minutes of his time. The piece runs, incorporating many
of his thoughts, but completely without attribution.
75
r You propose a perishable story to an editor who expresses immediate interest. The editor sits on the proposal for weeks. Nothing
happens. Meanwhile, its too late to pitch it to anyone else.
r You set up a requested interview with a client. She is quoted accurately, but totally out of context, resulting in a damaging, unintended impression.3
We counter Pomerantzs plaint with the media persons point of
view. Most reliable journalists loathe PR-managed newsthat is, the
piece with a positive twist or spin. These writers prefer to originate
their own stories based on reportage and research. But of course, this is
not always possible because of budget and time considerations. Therefore, the relationship with PR people is often symbioticjournalists
have difculty working with PR people, yet they cant function without them.
THE TOOLS OF MEDIA RELATIONS
Media relations is sometimes called a tactic, an activity, a practice

area, or a component, and it uses all kinds of media tools to get its
message across.
The press release is perhaps the oldest tool of public relations. Its
use today is still widespread, even though it has been joined by many
other pieces of artillery in the media relations arsenal.
But rst, lets dene a number of these tools:
BackgrounderA brieng session or document that may be in
the form of a fact sheet. Often it contains more information
than a press release.
BiographyA written account in biographical form of an individuals life and career, or of a corporation or other groups
history.
BylinerA writer important enough to merit a byline. The writer
is referred to as the byliner; the identication is the byline.
Case historyAll the relevant information or material gathered
about an individual, group, or company.
Fact sheetA collection of data in long or short form that often
accompanies a press release or press kit.
Media kitA packet of material containing information about
an organization, publication, network, or even TV show.
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News releaseAn article written by a public relations person

that is sent to the media about an event, development, personality, or business organization.
Pitch letterA public relations persons advance communication to an editor, print or broadcast, about a story or proposed
publicity.
Position paperA formal, usually detailed, written statement
about a single issue, which articulates a position, viewpoint,
or policy.
Round-up articleA summary or published list of items; an
extended article or a radio or TV program bringing together
a variety of sources.
B-Rolls and VNRs
Making their debut in the 1990s, B-rolls and VNRs are the new
hot tickets in the media relations sweepstakes. Here are some basic
denitions.
B-Roll. Used primarily in the broadcast medium but now also online, the B-roll is raw video footage, not scripted, about a new product,
development, or even a competition. When TV stations or networks
receive it, they must edit it and add the participation of the anchor.
B-rolls cost about $15,000 to make, plus the additional cost of
shipping, sometimes by satellite.
VNR (Video News Release). Basically, a VNR is a news story with
scenes, interviews and narration. The TV station receiving the VNR
has the option of adding its own script for the stations reporter to
read.
VNRs have been used to promote events like the opening of a
super-plus new resort in Las Vegas, a breakthrough drug, or even a
Victorias Secret fashion show.
VNRs are most effective when they dont need too much editing.
TV stations love them when they can be put right on the air.
Although VNRs have gained wide use in TV and online, there are
pitfalls for media relations professionals. A story that is too commercial wont be used. A satellite feed of a VNR alone does not guarantee
placement. It is still necessary to pitch the story to TV station news
editors via fax and e-mail.
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With more than 6,000 online news and consumer sites hungry for
content, the Internet has become a new frontier for VNRs. The Web
sites are eager for this kind of information. It improves their sites and
makes them look like rich media providers.
E-Mail: A Powerhouse Media Relations Tool
Bye-bye faxes, messengers, and snail mail. Brian Ruberry, president

of allhealth Public Relations in North Potomac, Maryland, now nds
e-mail to be the most efcient and effective method of getting information to the media.
According to an article in PRSAs TACTICS, there are today more
than 1,000 health care reporters who use the Internet for story ideas
and pitches, and nearly three-fourths of journalists go online daily.
Ruberry has outlined a set of strategies he uses to make effective
use of e-mail in media relations:
r Media list tailored to target only reporters who cover the topic.
r Place addressees in the bcc eld.
r Place your address in the to eld.
r Subject eld is eye-catching and applicable to reporters beats.
r The message captures the essence of the story without using more
than one screen.
r Attach news release for reporters if requested.
r If manageable, personalize each message.
r Proofread the message.
r Preview the message by sending it to yourself rst.
r Include your name, title, organization, and telephone number.4
How a Large PR Firm Tracks Media
At large public relations rms like Burson-Marsteller, media practice

specialists have instantaneous access to various databases that:
r Track electronic and print media opportunities for clients.
r Track coverage of clients and client issues.
r Track ongoing and emerging media trends and theories.
r Access the rms huge network of media contacts.
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CHAPTER 8
Case Histories in Media Relations
Ogilvy Public Relations, one of the top 10 PR rms, has adopted

a Media Works program in dealing with the media. Its purpose is
to share important information with media, stakeholders and the
marketplace in the most positive manner possible.
In the course of this program, Media Works offers
Media analysis and research
Message development
Media kits
Press conferences
Media training
Media surveys
Research
Here is a case history of Ogilvy PRs Media Works 1997 campaign
on behalf of client Ameritrade:
Ameritrade Holding Corporation sought to launch a new brand
and company unit into the still embryonic deep discount online brokerage category. Although the company had a solid 23-year heritage in
nancial and brokerage services, Ameritrade was virtually unknown.
As part of an integrated marketing team, Ogilvy PR took the lead,
announced the new company, and launched the Ameritrade brand in
October 1997.
Ogilvy PR implemented an aggressive Media Works campaign to
claim ownership of the online brokerage market, provide needed credibility for prospective customers, and help build a large customer base.
Key messages for media and industry analysis were developed,
along with an in-depth press kit about Ameritrade and the burgeoning deep discount brokerage industry. Company spokespersons were
media trained for national interviews.
On launch day, Ogilvy PR staged a massive media pitching effort
from New York, Chicago, and Omaha to contact 200 national and
regional business and personal nance media outlets. A CEO conference call was also set up with key analysts.
Following the launch, an aggressive Media Works campaign was
maintained to help support and further build the Ameritrade brand.
The results?
r A virtually unrecognized name became a market leader; a brand
was solidly established, partly through the power of Media Works.
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r Nearly 1,100 media placements were generated, including feature

proles and coverage in The Wall Street Journal, Time, and
Kiplingers, and on CNN and CNBC, among many other top media.
r More than 350,000 new accounts were generated.
r Ameritrades editorial share of voice nearly doubled its market
share.
r Stock rose dramatically and hit a record high.
r Media recognized Ameritrade as a key player alongside its larger
competitors, including Charles Schwab, Fidelity, Quick & Reilly,
and Discover.
Note particularly some of the media relations elements Ogilvy used
here:
r Key messages and an in-depth press kit were developed.
r Company spokespersons were media trained.
r A massive media pitching effort to media outlets was staged and a
conference call with Ameritrades CEO was set up with key stock
analysis.
r More than 1,100 media placements were generated, including
proles and coverage in the inuential Wall Street Journal and
CNBC.
r And perhaps most important in the development of Ameritrade was
its early recognition as a discount online brokerage brand.
Other Case Histories
When Hill & Knowlton represented a major U.S. telecommunications company that had opened ofces in Europe and Asia, it was
responsible for simultaneous press relations in seven target markets
overseas. This required that Hill & Knowlton communicate in more
than 17 languages, plus several dialects.
Sabre, a leader in the computer travel reservations eld, maintains
this position by an aggressive media relations program geared to
reaching its publics: more than 440 airlines, more than 45,000 hotel
properties, car rental companies, railroads, tour operators, in addition
to 42,000 travel agencies and millions of travelers who make more
than 400 million bookings each year.
Vollmer, Sabres PR rm, used a variety of tactics to harness this vast
audience. Vollmers media relations mix included press releases, media
briefs and alerts, tele-press conferences, media drops, interviews in
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target publications, and speaking opportunities for the companys

executives.
For this effort, both Sabre and Vollmer won a Cipra 2000 award
in the eld of media relations.
Edelman PR, another of our top 10 PR rms, created a video package for client DuPont that involved motion picture and still photography shot on three continents and that contained video and brochures
produced in six languages, and these packages were mailed to the
10,000 architects around the world.
The satellite media tour, where a CEO or other spokesperson is
interviewed in a single location by many TV and cable broadcasters,
is today a common media relations practice.
Video news releases (VNRs) and public service announcements
(PSAs) can have a total audience of 2 billion through network placement and repeated use on local and cable TV stations during a 1-year
period.
Today, all major PR rms are involved in interactive media solutions as they relate to the Internet, e-commerce, and digital communications. The massive electronic dissemination of press materials at
the click of a mouse is a reality.
Spreading the Words: Measuring the Effectiveness
of Media Relations Campaigns
When I published magazines, we sold advertisers on the composition

and demographics of our readers. We used total audience research to
determine how many readers per copy we had. Then we promoted
these numbers to show our magazines efciency compared to the
competition. In retrospect, its still not a very exacting measurement.
Broadcast uses a ratings system to tell advertisers the number of
households watching a particular show. Ratings guide advertising
agencies in buying TV time, and then help them evaluate the efciency of their buys.
Public relations has its own market research techniques to measure the effectiveness of media relations campaigns. Many rms and
organizations use database media monitoring systems to track and
measure the reach and response of their messages. The sheer volume
of clippings is not satisfactory media monitoring.
One rm, Ogilvy PR, analyzes the favorability of each clipping based on mutually agreed-on client criteria and recommended
81
strategies. Their program even includes a competitor benchmark in

their measurement of results.
Media relations monitoring and assessment now includes the Internet. Specialists search news and information sites, forums, and bulletin boards for clients and competitors mentions.
In placing messages and stories about a corporation or other organization, media relations professionals use online media such as
afnity sites, webzines, activist sites, listservs, university sites, and
online communities to directly reach target audiences.
When a campaign is completed, the PR rms gives its client an
evaluation and its measure of success. The evaluation is often a game
of numbers. For example, a PR rm represents a company that has
developed a revolutionary new voice-driven word processor. The media relations campaign is targeted to print and broadcast media.
When the campaign is completed, the PR rm delivers a report to
the client detailing the number of hitsthat is, the publications
and broadcast media that actually carried the story about the new
product.
The PR rm will highlight the storys appearance in such inuential publications as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal,
Fortune, and Business Week. Also included are media placements in
morning network talk shows and business news broadcast programs.
We should understand the comparison of a PR campaign to a paid
advertising campaign. In PR, the client has to consider the PR rms
fee and the additional costs of delivering the message to the media.
Advertising is more exact in the sense of nite media commitments.
For example, if the manufacturer of a voice-driven word processor
buys a black-and-white page ad in Newsweek, it will cost $99,450.
That ad reaches a circulation of 3.1 million readers. When we add
in the magazines pass-along circulation (others reading a particular
issue), the ad has a total audience of about 20 million. However, does
every one of these readers read the ad?
Now, if the corporation and its PR rm are able to place a story
(as opposed to an ad) in Newsweek about the word processor, there
may be higher readership at no cost other than the PR rms fee. Its
often a difcult choice and one that depends on the product and the
message.
Also, many situations dont lend themselves to treatment as advertising. Often in a product launch, the marketing plan calls for both
advertising and PR.
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CHAPTER 8
STAGING PRESS CONFERENCES AND INTERVIEWS
When the U.S. President chooses to have a press conference, theres no

problem guaranteeing that it will be attended. Dozens of domestic and
foreign correspondents from broadcast and print media are assigned
to the president. Theyre constantly receiving memoranda, advisories,
and press releases from the presidents press secretary. Also, a live press
conference allows for direct questions to the chief executive.
Similarly, in November 2000, when General Electric, the worlds
largest corporation, appointed a new CEO to succeed its dynamic
leader, Jack Welch, it called a press conference in the companys NBC
studios in New York, and all the media came because of the worldwide
importance of the move. Of course, the news was also disseminated
to the media electronically.
Heads of corporations and organizations often desire to meet the
press. In this way, their comments and opinions will be transmitted to
a wide audience. But press conferences arent arranged spontaneously.
Rather, according to PR News, a press conference is warranted only if:
r The news merits the busy reporters time.
r The information cannot be communicated as effectively in writing
or by telephone.
r Its necessary to tell the story to a number of the media at the same
time.
r Theres genuine interest in the news among a reasonable portion of
the general public.
r A recognized, respected, and well-prepared spokesperson can be
provided.
r The announcement can be tied to another timely and newsworthy
issue or event.
r Interesting visual elements are available.
r Its required in order to meet competition from other breaking
news, such as election coverage or other activities that command
attention.
A CONVERSATION WITH HOWARD J. RUBENSTEIN
An article in The New York Times in September 1999 called Howard

J. Rubenstein image maker for those who move and shake, a
spinner with vast web of contacts, and the dean of damage control.
83
The article went on to call him New Yorks number 1 public relations
executive, who has spent 46 lucrative years in the art of manipulating
the perceptions of powerful clients.
One British magazine gave him the title, Superak.
Rubenstein doesnt run a top 10 PR rm and doesnt have 1,000
employees, but insiders guess he makes $4 million to $7 million a
year.
I rst met Howard Rubenstein more than 30 years ago. He was
handling PR for the edgling Weight Watchers organization and I
was publishing its magazine. Under his nurturing, Weight Watchers
grew into a strong national organization that was later purchased by
H. J. Heinz. Since then Rubenstein has become an inuential force
in New York PR and political affairs with a client list of the mighty
and the celebrated, such as Rupert Murdoch, the New York Yankees,
David Letterman, Michael Jackson, and the former Duchess of York,
Sarah Ferguson. He also represents Rockefeller Center, Columbia
University, the State of Israel, and Sony Music Entertainment.
Rubenstein linked up the duchess with his client Weight Watchers,
where she became its spokesperson. Later, Ferguson performed similar
services for Charles Schwab by appearing in its advertising.
I asked him a few questions about his practice and his profession.
According to a recent listing, your rm handles about 500 clients
with a staff of about 175. Most other large rms have a higher ratio
of employees to clients. How do you do it?
We are results oriented and bottom-line conscious. Our efforts are
directed toward meeting the clients business goals. While we understand and highly value the importance of learning and listening, we
do not waste time on unnecessary frills and meetings for the sake of
meeting. Our objective is not to describe what we are going to do,
but to do itto break major stories in key media. We have a highly
professional staff capable of honing a story, packaging it intelligently,
and presenting it persuasively to the appropriate reporters.
All professional staff members have account responsibilities. No one
simply manages others. We also utilize a team approach where appropriate for major, complex assignments. Each contributes what he or
she does best in a dynamic, creative, and efcient mix.
In a magazine article, one PR professional said of you, He wont
call a press conference unless theres news; [he] has the best-attended
press conferences in New York. How do you go about conducting a
conference? Is it done with just a press release, or is there telephone
follow-up to the media?
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There are nine basic rules regarding press conferences:

1. Make sure you are making newseither because of what youre
saying or whos saying it or both.
2. Dont schedule a conference unless theres a genuine interest in
the news among a reasonable portion of the general public.
3. Dont schedule a press conference unless its necessary to tell the
story to a number of the media at the same time.
4. Have a powerful visual. Rarely rely on just talking heads, even
if theyre heads of state.
5. Provide a recognized, respected, and well-prepared spokesperson
for the conference.
6. Hold the press conference in an accessible location at a realistic
time. Make certain the room ts the event, for there is little worse
than a low turnout in a vast space. Be exible so that you can
add (or remove) seats as needed.
7. Dont schedule your press conference for a time (or a day) when
you know a major competing story will be breaking. Inform the
press about the conference by releasing a tip sheet, a catchy
announcementsent out a few days prior to the eventwhich
is designed to entice but omits the hard news.
8. Follow up with phone calls and faxes the day before and morning
of the press conference. After the press conference make sure you
and your client are available to respond to further queries, as well
as to arrange for beeper interviews. (The beeper allows the
press to reach the PR person or interviewee any time following
the press conference.)
9. Send the press kit to all appropriate media not present. Its also
usually a good idea to have your own photographer there so you
can service the wires [wire services], if they are interested, and
the trades.
Howard Rubenstein Shares His Best Media Placement Secrets
So that the reader might benet from the secrets of success of this
renowned image-spinner, we reprint a portion of a column he wrote
in the January 2001 premiere issue of Bulldog Reporters MEDIA
RELATIONS INSIDER:
1. Dont begin a placement pitch until youre convinced the story has
merit. Before you can begin to place well, Rubenstein says, you have
to understand what makes good news and future material. You cant
just be an order taker for your client, he says. Too many beginners
85
in the eld will listen to the client and say its a great story. But unless
youre convinced its a good story the media will like and use, you
should work on it and make it the best you can.
Three criteria determine whether a story will y, according to Rubenstein: Is it new? Does it affect a lot of people? Will it interest most
people? If you are told to promote something that isnt news or at
least isnt a dramatic feature story pegged around some kind of news,
resist the temptation to prematurely pitch it.
Tip: Rubenstein advises publicists to look for the human element
in a story. Start with one persons experience and then broaden the
story out. Contrary to the traditional inverted pyramid story model, it
is a technique that is being used more often by newspaper reporters.
Rubenstein, like other high-prole PR pros, also learned a long time
ago that the media loves stunts. Weve done 10,000 or more in all my
days, says Rubenstein. That includes the spectacle he orchestrated in
Times Square that attracted legions of reporters to witness magician
David Blaine entombing himself in a block of ice.
2. Resist the temptation to blanket the media with press releases.
Rubenstein says the best placement is achieved by giving a story to the
right reporter and outlet. That requires reading everything about an
area that concerns your client. Dont be discouraged by rejection,
advises Rubenstein. Improve your pitch and go somewhere else. You
can even go to a different department or another columnist or editor
at the same paper. Just because youve been rejected one place doesnt
mean youve been rejected at that outlet.
Tip: Keep media lists up-to-date. We buy every list available in
town, says Rubenstein. Weve got about 500,000 names and outlets
worldwide in our database, but it would have no value if I didnt keep it
up-to-date on a daily basis. He adds, though, that it is more valuable
to intimately know ve to ten reporters who cover your area than the
names of 100 journalists.
3. Exclusivesa help or a hindrance? Some of Rubensteins nancial clients benet when he gives an exclusive to The Wall Street Journal
or The New York Times. Going to a powerful daily in advance of a
major announcement and getting them interested in a story can be a
major plus because most major newspapers dont like covering news
conferences or just taking press releases and running with them. But
favoring a daily newspaper too often angers other news media, he
says.
4. Get double the coverage by localizing your story. Sometimes
youre lucky to break a good national story, but then it tails off because
reporters back off. So we look for local angles and go to regional outlets in cities, says Rubenstein. Sometimes, wire services will pick it
up and shoot it back out over the country and it gets picked up all over
the place again.
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CHAPTER 8
THE WORLDS FASTEST PRESS CONFERENCE
Heres a unique approach Sprint Business took in 1997 to promote

its campaign on the 50 Most Productive Cities in America and an
event titled The Worlds Fastest Press Conference. The campaign
won a Cipra 1998 award:
Source: Cipra 1998.
Organization: Sprint Business.
Agency: Meltzer & Martin Public Relations.
For Sprint Business, the primary message platform for all marketing
communications activities is the concept that Sprints business services
help companies improve their productivity. In 1997, Sprint delivered
its productivity message to small businesses across the country,
with a strategically focused video news release showcasing the 50
Most Productive Cities in America.
Research and Planning
As the telecommunications industry entered 1997, major players were

faced with a host of competitors touting low prices to consumer and
business audiences. Rather than play a price game, Sprint Business
established a core message platform that focused on the promise to
deliver productivity to companies.
For its part, Meltzer & Martin Public Relations was charged with
developing a year-long campaign targeted to small businesstypically
companies with fewer than 100 employees and telecommunications
billings of less than $5,000 per month. The agency crafted a plan
with the ultimate goal of contributing to new customer acquisition
for Sprint. As one of the major initiatives, Meltzer & Martin recommended an independent study commissioned by Sprint to identify the
50 Most Productive Cities in America.
Objectives and Strategy
The announcement of the research results would occur on-site in the

city designated as the Most Productive City in America, centered
around an event billed as the worlds fastest press conference. The
press conference would feature John Moschitta, the worlds fastest
talker, known for his appearances in FedEx television ads, who
would describe the attributes that contributed to the citys most
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productive designation and would name some of the small business

and categories that helped earn the city this recognition.
In conjunction with the event, the agency worked with an outside
vendor to produce a video news release (VNR) announcing the results of the study. The primary objective of the VNR was to further
build Sprints positioning as a telecommunications company that understands small businesses and their need for productivity tools. The
agency set a goal of securing four placements in the top markets of
the VNR, which closely reected the key markets on which Sprint
placed a special focus during the year.
Execution
The announcement of the 50 most productive cities in America was

held in the top city on the list: San Jose, California. Meltzer & Martin
PR then enlisted the participation of the San Jose Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. Because the goal would be to distribute the VNR
over the satellite as soon after the event as possible, the agency arranged to shoot and edit certain footage in advance of the actual announcement, including comments from the Chamber of Commerce,
comments from Sprint representative, background footage of San
Jose, and the narrative voiceover. Final lming occurred at the actual
press conference to announce the results of the study, and all footage
was reviewed at a postproduction facility near San Jose. The VNR
was nalized that afternoon and rst distributed over the satellite at
4 p.m. A media alert had been distributed a week earlier to secure
initial interest from the media.
Because of an unanticipated media event, a stunning decline in
the U.S. stock market that virtually eliminated the opportunity for
broadcast feature coverage, the agency and outside vendor agreed to
rebroadcast the VNR once again the next week when news media
would again be receptive to feature material.
Evaluation
Sprints announcement of the 50 Most Productive Cities in America

was successful by all measures.
r In total, the VNR generated 39 placementsalmost 10 times the
original goaland reached nearly 4.7 million viewers.
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r Sixty-eight percent of the VNR placements appeared in the top 50

designated market areas (DMAs), including eight placements in
Pittsburgh, four in San Francisco, one in Houston, and one in
Cleveland.
r Ninety-nine percent of the placements in the top 50 markets ran
during a prime-time news program.
r One hundred percent of the placements conveyed Sprints productivity message.
And the success of the program was not only external. At the conclusion of the project, Sprints senior director of small business marketing deemed the study the best, most strategically strong effort of
its type to date.
WHAT CLOUT IS ALL ABOUT
As in any other business or profession, the ability to reach inuential people pays off. In advertising, it is often contacts rather than
creativity that win new accounts. So it is in PR.
Media relations people at the largest PR counsel rms have clout
by virtue of the standing of their clients. It is certainly an accepted
practice for an editor to agree to do a piece on Client A in exchange
for an exclusive interview with the controversial CEO of Client B.
A media relations person who is established as a source of information about a subject, or even as a source of sources, also exercises
clout. This cooperation makes an editors or reporters job easier, and
ultimately benets the PR person.
One well-known New York PR professional, known in the business
as an image xer, is often asked to repair damaged images. He is
successful at it because of many years spent accumulating important
friends in the media. It also helps that he has been on the other side
of the desk, both in the business world and in government.
This PR practitioner has unparalleled access to the power of the
press, particularly important when he represents unpopular clients
or causes. In one case, he served as PR counsel for the editors of
an arch-conservative college newspaper who were suspended from
school for harassing a black professor whose teaching style and political views they found objectionable. Here, this PR counsel functioned
as a criminal attorney. He tried to convince the public that the editors
punishment amounted to a violation of their right of free speech.
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In another case, he was called on to represent three cigarette companies who were jointly defending themselves against a lawsuit brought
by a man whose wife had died of lung cancer. Their defense was that
there is still no proof that heavy smoking is lethal and that, regardless
of the warning on the pack itself, the mans wife chose to smoke of
her own free will.
He is able to justify his high hourly fee because he delivers. He can
immediately reach top columnists, the managing editor of The New
York Times, ABCs Peter Jennings, CBSs Dan Rather, CNNs Larry
King, and NBCs Tom Brokaw. This access doesnt guarantee that his
clients will always win, but it certainly assures that theyll get a fair
hearing.
TIPS OF THE MEDIA RELATIONS TRADE
We discuss the operations of Infocom Group, publishers of MEDIA

RELATIONS INSIDER, Lifestyle Media Relations Reporter, PR
AGENCY INSIDER, and BULLDOG REPORTER, in chapter 21.
The information in these excellent publications is designed for the
skilled PR practitioner and offers the insight necessary to penetrate
the minds of editors, reporters, and broadcast news directors.
We list here some tips culled from various issues of these publications. They clearly indicate the high degree of specialization in the
craft of media relations:
r Make yourself an expertknow more about the industry than the
journalist youre pitching to.
r Show your facevisit a local TV stations or newspapers newsroom to introduce yourself to the journalists face to face and to see
rsthand how they operate.
r Send releases in common language, not industry-speak.
r Train CEOs (in your own or your clients company) to tell their story
in three to ve messages so that theyre comfortable repeating them
throughout each media interview much like politicians do during
campaigns.
r Research your clients industry by reading more trades (industry
publications and Web sites) and ask clients for trends.
r Keep abreast of media people moves in daily newspapers, broadcast
media, and consumer and business magazines.
r Focus on the language of the market youre trying to reach.
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STAGING A SPECIAL EVENT
Special events take many forms, and planning them, of course, requires many different approaches.
The National Air and Space Museum, part of the Smithsonian Institution, creates at least one event a year. On the 20th anniversary
of the Apollo 11 moon landing, an outdoor public ceremony was
held at the museum attended by high-ranking government ofcials,
the astronaut crew of Apollo 11, and scores of VIPs. A late-night
Lunar landing Party was staged with actual footage of the Neil
Armstrong moon walk shown on closed-circuit monitors around the
building.
Planning the event began 18 months in advance, with regularly
scheduled meetings with all departments of the museum participating.
Early planning also involved negotiations with ofcials at NASA,
whose primary interest was maximum public relations impact.
For the communications staff of the Smithsonian, the hard work
paid off. Press coverage was extensive, with a total of 75 camera crews
covering the event for local and network TV. In addition to the media
exposure, the event enhanced the museums image. It also produced
goodwill and a spirit of community among the local participating
groups. The event gave the Smithsonian staff members a feeling of
pride and condence in the institution. For the public, the event provided an educational, family-oriented, festive happening.
ARRANGING A PRESS TOUR
One of the major assignments of media relations people is the press

tour. It is used when a movie star does satellite tours to promote a new
movie or when a celebrity goes on a tour to promote a new product
bearing his or her name.
If you are best-selling author John Grisham you dont go on those
wearisome book tours. Add to the elite group of nontourers Robert
Ludlum, Tom Clancy, and Danielle Steel. Their new books make the
best-seller lists and stay there for months without touring.
Less eminent authors do go through the rigors of book tours. Jay
Kordich is the Juiceman. His publisher, William Morrow, promoted
his book, The Juicemans Power of Juicing, with a tour that took in
19 cities in 32 days. In addition to the trip, the author did interviews
that resulted in numerous newspaper and magazine stories.
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So important was the tour for Kordichs publisher, it employed a

publicity and tour-management rm to handle arrangements. Today,
e-mail and the Internet have speeded up details for tours such as this
one.
The book industrys leading trade publication, Publishers Weekly,
has gone high-tech in its efforts to publicize and promote books.
Publishers Weekly has a biweekly e-mail service for agents, scouts,
and editors, where it provides up-to-date information on book, movie,
TV, and licensing deals.
A Creative Media Opportunity
In the early 1970s, when I was publishing National Lampoon, we

were a hot item. Everything we did was news, whether we contrived
it or not. We also received a large volume of fan mail, from an
assortment of crazies, racists, and even ordinary citizens who hated
the magazine.
One day a package about 6 9 inches arrived in the mail. Our
mailperson didnt think that was so unusual; we received many packages. But this one was differentit was ticking.
Seizing the moment, one of our editors immediately called the bomb
squad of the New York City Police Department, the three networks,
wire services, The New York Times, and The Daily News. To the
press he said in a panicked voice, This is the National Lampoon,
and weve just received a bomb. Come quickly.
Within minutes they all arrivedthe police with their specially
padded bomb wagon, the media with their cameras. It didnt take
the police long to detect that the ticking bomb was actually an
alarm clock. That night on the 11 oclock news all three local news
shows carried the episode, including an interview with a Lampoon
editor. No, the event had not been planned. But it made for a short,
humorous news feature, with even some doubt over its legitimacy.
THE NEW REALITY FOR SERVING PUBLIC RELATIONS CLIENTS
Marketing expert Peter Pitts complains that too many public relations counselors focus on the wrong things in serving clientsmedia,
messages, and tactics.
Not correct, says Pitts. Effective communications must begin
and end with a clear focus on getting through to the target audience,
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having them believe in the communications delivered, and ensuring

that they remember what they have been told. In todays world of
message mayhem, the smart communicator understands that its not
what you say, its what they remember.
How one pulls off that considerable communications task is the
subject of an article he wrote for the winter 2001 issue of PRSAs
publication, THE STRATEGIST.
The word communication comes from the Latin word communico,
which means to share. Those of us in the communications trade are in
the business of helping our clients share a message.
Sounds simple.
In practice, however, its an intellectual, emotional, and often a physical challenge. But the rewards are worth the effort. Too bad so many
people dont know what theyre doing.
Choosing the Right Agency

How to choose a communications rm is almost as tough as when to
hire one. Most CEOs understand that they cant produce their own
television commercials. Its technical. They understand what an advertising agency does. But when those same corporate executives are
faced with a communications crisis, theyre not sure where to turn.
It doesnt help that the name public relations rms all present programs that, while complete, are at times useless and always expensive.
Thats not to say the majority of experts arent skilled at their craft
they are. The problem is that very few in the elds of marketing and
public relations really understand that successful communication isnt
driven by what you say.
It hinges on what your target audience remembers. And, it aint the
same thing.
Examining the Memory Model

By investigating the dynamics that drive the memory of a targeted
listener, a model emerges that explains why a person or audience hears
certain thingswhat makes that person or group believe whats being
said and, most importantly, why some things are remembered, while
others forgotten and still others are entirely misunderstood.
Most public relations rms talk tactics because thats what most
clients expecta schedule of press releases, weighty information packets and media tours. They load the weapon before identifying the
93
target. Success is measured in newspaper clippings, television interviews and Web site click-throughs.
But do media mentions equate to message retention?
Its not what you sayor what is written about what you sayits
what your target audience remembers.
Words, wrote Rudyard Kipling, are the most powerful drug used
by mankind. And the best doctors diagnose rst before prescribing
medication. Otherwise its only intuitionand malpractice.
Dene Before Jumping
Its wiser to clearly dene the situation before jumping to tactical
solutions.
r Who is the intended audience? Customers? Stockholders: Employees? Community activists? Government regulators?
r How best to communicate the right message to the right target?

r And how to insure that the strategically developed message is the
one thats remembered?
And, not only remembered, but passed on. People get their information from a multitude of sources, but most public relations rms focus
only on what has been dubbed the formal network of communication, press releases, brochures, annual reports, company newsletters,
Internet sites, and advertising, all of which are controlled information
networks.
As important and useful as these are, it is not where real credibility
resides. Such communications are considered, if not entirely compromised, at best suspect. The company says are not the three most
trusted words in the English language. Perhaps the three most important words in public relations are identied by what one person in your
target audience says to another, I heard that . . .
Most established communications pros concur that it doesnt matter what the media says as long as they talk about you. This may be
true for some (and even thats plenty arguable), but it is certainly not
so for a corporate client anticipating or in the middle of a crisis. Surely
executives at hospitals and nursing homes nationwide are not thrilled
about being on the front pages of the newspaper when the stories are
about Medicare fraud and FBI investigations.
Hearing, Believing, Remembering
The only thing of consequence is ensuring that your target audience
listens, believes, and remembers the message you want to get out.
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Merrie Spaeth, Dallas-based communications consultant and former

head of White House media relations for President Reagan, has pioneered the inverted communication pyramid. Rather than following
the traditional model which calls for a PR strategy built on a foundation of background detail, supported with proof and a bit of sell at the
top, Spaeth has it ipped over on its head.
Effective communications, according to Spaeth, must begin with a
strong, punchy, pithy headline, followed up with proof, such as facts,
statistics, examples, anecdotes and quotes (from any expert or individual meaningful to a target audience.) The detail comes dead last. Sound
familiar? Its exactly the way a good news story is presented. Effective communications is not about education; its about your message.
Its the job of the communications professional to take the truth
the messageand make it more interesting than ctionto make it
memorable. Its a formidable challenge.
Author Eli Djeddah wrote, We constantly think that other people
will be persuaded by the intelligent presentation of facts or the force of
our convictionswhen, in reality, these glance off them like raindrops
off a car roof. We have totally ignored the need to prepare the ground
for the emotional climate, which will make people listen to us, trust us
and be persuaded by us.
Corporations cannot afford (in either time or treasure) to retain a
consulting rm that doesnt do anything until a crisis point. But thats
precisely what many doto their own strategic disadvantage.
As NEW YORKER writer Kurt Andersen has observed, Truth is
supposed to be stranger than ction, but its interesting how often truth
is exactly like ctioncontrived, implausible and stupid.
Its the job of the communications professional to take the truth
the messageand make it more interesting than ctionto make it
memorable.
Communications warrior, Peter J. Pitts, is Managing Partner of
Wired World, an Indianapolis-based marketing rm and a senior fellow at the Institute for Strategic Communications. He is the author of
the book, Become Strategic or Die.
MEDIA RELATIONS AT THE AMERICAN

MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
Many professional and trade groups pursue active public relations

programs. To understand the workings of PR in this eld, lets focus on
one such group, the American Medical Association (AMA). The AMA
represents almost 300,000 medical practitioners in the United States.
Its communication activities are varied, part of an overall strategic
95
plan aimed at strengthening public and professional condence in the

organization and its members.
Heres how the AMA implements this program:
1. The Media Relations Department handles well over 500 telephone
calls each month from the news media and the public seeking clinical,
socioeconomic, and health policy information.
2. AMA ofcers and executives visit dozens of cities each year speaking
to groups and conducting media interviews promoting the AMA and
issues important to Americas patients and physicians.
3. Relevant AMA policies on medical ethics, public health, healthcare
costs, and health policy are discussed in the media.
4. Ofcers and trustees deliver speeches before civic and business groups.
Three full-time speechwriters produce approximately 200 speeches
each year for top AMA leaders.
5. The AMA conducts science conferences in cosponsorship with universities, highlighting for reporters advances in medicine and health care.
The AMA also partners with other organizations and corporate entities
to sponsor media briengs on important issues affecting health.
6. The AMA publishes the highly respected Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), which enjoys the largest circulation of any
medical journal in the world. Its U.S.-based edition reaches 360,000
readers in 148 countries weekly, while its 18 international editions,
published in 13 different languages, reach another 390,000 readers
globally.
7. A packet of news releases from JAMA is distributed to almost 1,500
journalists weekly.
8. As a function of its formidable advocacy and lobbying efforts, the
AMA is continually in touch with Congress, executive departments,
and other federal agencies regarding healthcare issues and the interests
of its members.
Many more communication and PR activities are carried out by

the AMA. For our purposes, just think of the kinds of jobs available
in such an organization. Science writers, editors, speechwriters, and
media relations people are just a few that come to mind.
An Interview With a Senior PR Executive
at the American Medical Association
Mike Lynch is currently the director of media relations at the American

Medical Association. He has worked with reporters on a wide variety
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of issues affecting health care and medical practice during his 5 years
on the job. Recently, Mr. Lynch played an integral role in the AMAs
2000 National House Call campaign, which followed Presidential
candidates on the campaign trail, calling media attention to the candidates views on healthcare. In 1999, he effectively managed media
attention surrounding the AMAs decision to create a labor organization for employed physicians. The AMA vote became the top domestic
news story for 48 hours, airing on all network newscasts and grabbing
front-page headlines in USA TODAY, The New York Times, The Wall
Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, and other leading newspapers
across the country.
Prior to joining the AMA, Mr. Lynch served as chief speechwriter
and communications coordinator for the American Academy of Pediatrics. Before joining organized medicine, he worked as a reporter
for The Daily Herald newspaper in suburban Chicago.
AMA ofcers and trustees are quoted frequently in the media. What
role does your ofce play in this process and how do you work with
your spokespeople to ensure their success?
Our Media Relations ofce is involved every step of the way. AMA
trustees, who serve as our ofcial spokespeople, learn from their very
rst day on the job that all media inquiries must be routed through our
Media Relations ofce. There are several reasons for this, but mainly
it helps ensure that the AMA is speaking with a unied voice and a
consistent message. That cannot occur if our spokespeople operate
independently.
Most of our spokespeople recognize that routing media calls through
our ofce is in their best interest. Doing so offers our Media Relations
staff an opportunity to nd out exactly what reporters are looking
for and to provide them with background information that can better
focus interviews. Most of our spokespeople are practicing physicians
so their time is limited. The more we can do to inform reporters before
they speak to spokespeople, the better the exchange is for all parties.
We make every effort to be sure our spokespeople are well briefed and
know what to expect going into an interview. The cardinal sin in media
relations is sending your spokesperson into an interview situation illprepared.
We do a lot of proactive media outreach as well. Its not enough to
simply respond to reporters inquiries, you need to pitch story ideas
and spokespeople to reporters whenever possible. Most reporters are
willing to consider good story ideas, but to be successful in gaining
their attention, you need to know the kind of stories they write. Not
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taking the time to learn a reporters beat shows a lack of respect for
the reporter and your pitch is doomed to fail.
Our staff does intensive media training with all new AMA trustees,
as well as offer ongoing feedback to those already doing interviews.
Even the most expert spokesperson can benet from staff input. Rarely
is a message delivered perfectly. There are almost always ways to improve it. Our staff is constantly looking for examples, stories, statistics,
or metaphors that will resonate with a reporter or audience. The real
challenge is developing a message that is compelling, yet can be delivered concisely. For better or worse, the media loves sound bites
and if you cant communicate your message in fteen seconds or less,
chances are youre not going to be heard.
Who does the speechwriting, and do these writers perform other
functions as well?
The AMA speaks to several hundred audiences a year from all elds
and in all corners of the country. Three full-time speechwriters produce
approximately 200 speeches each year for top AMA leaders. Speechwriting for a medical organization is challenging, but not lacking for
topics, anecdotes, and apt metaphors. In addition, the speechwriters
often help in the preparation of op-ed pieces for newspapers and other
appropriate publications.
What are your departments core responsibilities in terms of media
relations?
Our staff of 12 professionals receives some 500 to 600 inquiries from
the media each month on every topic imaginable. Some of these calls
can be handled simply by presenting the reporter with background
information. Others require coordinating an interview with an AMA
spokesperson. Some inquiries are best handled by referring the reporter
to a source outside the AMA. As much as possible, our goal is not to
have reporters go away empty-handed. Even if the AMA cannot furnish
the necessary information, we try to offer an organization or individual
that can. I think reporters appreciate our efforts and are more likely
to return to us when they are working on stories to which the AMA
can offer meaningful input.
In 2000, the AMA issued over 100 press releases and statements.
Were responsible for disseminating these, posting them to our Web
site, and making sure they get into the hands of reportersand
ultimately in front of the public. Our staff also writes letters to the
editors that comment on timely issues affecting the AMA. During the
past year, the letters from the AMA have appeared in USA
TODAY, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Chicago
Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Dallas Morning News, Detroit FreePress, Denver Post, and other leading newspapers across the country.
Letters to the editor are a good vehicle to respond to news reports we
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feel are unfair or inaccurate, or to offer support for views on which we

agree.
The other major responsibility our media relations staff performs is
coordinating media events such as press conferences, media briengs,
and editorial board visits. While these events are time-consuming and
demand thoughtful planning and execution, the payoff can be great.
We use these events judiciously, however. When we conduct one of
these events, we make every effort to ensure that reporters come away
with more than they would get from a simple press release. During a
typical year, the AMA conducts approximately 10 to 12 press conferences, 6 to 8 media briengs, and makes 5 to 6 editorial board visits.
Does the AMA engage outside PR counsel rms in addition to the
in-house staff? What do they do?
On occasion, the AMA has worked with outside PR counsel. It can
be helpful to have other communications professionals look at what
our staff is doing and get their input. However, regardless of how good
an outside agency may be, there is just no substitute for hiring your
own talented, creative people who can learn the ins and outs of an
organization and use that knowledge to get the job done professionally
and expediently. Media relations is a fast-paced, deadline-driven profession. You simply do not have time to get an outside agency up to
speed so that an issue can be addressed appropriately. My preference
is to hire good communications people who can do the job internally.
In fact, our staff likens itself to an in-house PR agencyand we view
the various departments within the AMA as our clients.
How does the Internet and your Web site t in with the activities of
media relations at the AMA?
The Internet and our AMA Web site have become essential tools for
doing our daily work. We use the Internet every morning to track media reports about the AMA and relevant issues impacting its agenda.
By 8:30 each morning we distribute electronic news clips of the days
top stories to every AMA employee and our physician trustees. Doing
so allows everyone associated with the AMA to know what the outside world is saying about our organization and the issues affecting it.
During the day, we use the Internet to stay on top of breaking news affecting the AMA. While medical advances do not occur suddenly, how
theyre reported certainly does. In addition, the AMA is very involved
in many legislative activities in Washington. By monitoring news reports we can work to correct inaccuracies, offer needed clarications,
or provide AMA comment when appropriate. This effort is particularly
important in regard to wire service reports like those from the Associated Press, where reporters are updating their stories as information
becomes available.
99
Finally, our Web site is an invaluable tool in helping our staff disseminate relevant information to reporters. We have developed our
own For the Media Web page that includes AMA news releases,
statements, recent letters to the editor, and information about past
and upcoming AMA briengs. Our Web page offers reporters a good
starting point any time they are reporting on the AMA.
CHAPTER 9
Internal
and Employee
Communications,
Employee Relations,
and Employee
Publications
n the year 2000, among all the mergers and consolidations of

big business, one stands out: the joining of Internet giant AOL
and Time Warner, a power in publishing and entertainment and
owner of the CNN network. An article in the December 4, 2000,
New York Times was headed, A Tank Rolls Through CNN Before
Merger. The tank referred to was Steven J. Heyer, president of Turner
Broadcasting System, CNNs parent company.
The article pointed out that months before the actual merger was
nalized in 2001, hundreds of jobs were eliminated. The situation
assumes almost biblical proportion over who shall live and who shall
die.
In the new management teams actions, how will they assure the
employees who remain with the company that there wont be further
mass layoffs to produce maximum revenues in the merged company?
Mergers are a dominant issue in todays practice of employee relations, and occur with frequency whenever two powers come together
or when globalization or lower prots cause plant shutdowns and
divestitures, situations that are reported on daily in the pages of
The Wall Street Journal.
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EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATIONS, RELATIONS, PUBLICATIONS
101
Yet, in a benevolent gesture, AOL and Time Warner agreed to give

stock options to all 85,000 employees of the combined rm after the
merger was completed in 2001.
THE ISSUES, APPROACHES, AND TOOLS

OF EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATIONS
Whether its a global corporation, an association, or a government

agency, the area of employee communications and employee relations
plays a signicant role. In most organizations, the corporate communications department reporting to top management is responsible for
employee communications. Often, the organization will bring in its
PR rm or other specialists to implement this program.
In February 2000, PRSAs publication TACTICS had a series of
articles that put the spotlight on issues in employee communications.
Carolyn Bobo, assistant vice president for public relations at Cook
Childrens Health Care System in Fort Worth, Texas, called for a
strategic emphasis on employee communications. When competition
is erce and globalization real, communication is more important
than ever to an organization.
According to Bobo, senior management must realize that communication is a strategic function. Management must know what employees want and how to implement such a program. She recommended that the organization communicate issues in at least three
waysface to face, memo, e-mail, video, closed circuit TV, and even
by letter.
Julie Khan, a manager of organizational communications for GE
Capitals Financial Assurance Partnership Marketing Group, stressed
that management should not only deliver the messages to its employees, but also evaluate how well they understand the messages.
In understanding the audience for these messages, said Khan,
management should realize that employees are people rst, then audiences, and that they have heads, hearts, hopes, fears, and families . . .
to advance the (organizations) business, we need to connect to employees emotionally. But we cant do that without really listening
rst.
Alison Davis is president of Davis & Company, a consulting rm
that helps companies reach, engage and motivate employees. She advocated a program for communicating change (mergers, rings, etc.)
in a brave new way. Among her concepts are these;
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r Create a change strategy that directly addresses the organizations

climate and culture.
r Translate and articulate management speak into plain language
and tangible contents.
r Relentlessly measure progress (about change) and ne-tune the
process.
CORPORATE IDENTITIES
McGraw-Hill Introduces New Corporate Identity
There once was a McGraw and a Hill. In the late 19th century, they
were competitors until they joined forces in 1917. We also know
McGraw-Hill from our textbook days. But perhaps we dont know
that at this writing the company has more than 15,000 employees
worldwide and produces 101 publications in four divisions: corporate, nancial services, educational and professional publishing, and
information media services.
In 1996, an internal survey determined that a majority of employees were uncertain and unaware of how many divisions, publications, and services existed as part of the McGraw-Hill Companies. McGraw-Hill then decided to launch a new identity campaign
to enhance employee understanding of the scope of the companys
resources and talents. The vehicle chosen to accomplish the rst step
of the new corporate identity program was a fast-paced, 14-minute
video starring McGraw-Hill employees from around the world, called
We Are One.
To counsel the company in this effort, McGraw-Hill brought in
Boxenbaum Grates, Inc., a strategic communications counseling rm,
a unit of the high-ranking PR counsel rm, GCI Consulting North
America.
The video was built around the ve core values reective of the
organizations new culture: principled, brand-rich, global, dynamic,
and technologically sophisticated. McGraw-Hills CEO and president
appeared on camera and addressed these issues.
Employees were used in the video instead of actors to convey an
authentic sense of the companys diversity and uniqueness, and they
were lmed in their own workplaces, not on a set.
The We Are One concept became a regular campaign that was extended to the organizations monthly employee newsletter, employee
breakfasts, and management forums.
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The Marriage of Boeing and McDonnell Douglas
In chapter 3, we referred to the downsizing at Boeing and its subsequent merger with McDonnell Douglas. A Cipra 1998 award details the strategy and creativity used in the employee communications
phase of the merger.
The transition period from the time of the announcement to the
nal approval of the deal took 8 months. In the interim, many decisions had to be made, not least of which was the fate of both companies employees and their families. Lets look at some of the creative
steps the two leaders took on the road to an intense, creative program
of employee communications:
On December 12, 1996, the two CEOs called a communicators only meeting with their 10 top communication pros, including
employee communications executives. Then, on December 15, the
process of gaining ofcial approval from government agencies and
shareholders began.
But even with these approvals, the communicators agreed that the
employee public was crucial to the long-range success of the merged
organization. Here are the actions top management and their communicators pursued in the area of employee communications:
r A preliminary communications plan with employee emphasis was
immediately written.
r Research ndings were used to complete the internal plan. Execution followed, with all internal activity keyed to the research-based
plan. Research with 21 employee focus groups was conducted after
the announcement to determine levels of understanding and to provide a base for ongoing communications. Two prevailing messages
came out of these meetings: communicate, communicate, communicate; and treat the merger as a celebration, not as a funeral.
Day one/week one challenges and planning continued at a high
pitch, with the employees kept up-to-date at all stages. The big day,
August 4, when the merger was nal, heralded a week-long series of
events at all the two companies locations:
r An information plan including videos, brochures, and a new logo
pin was mailed to employee homes.
r At 52 work locations, 176,000 employees gathered to view a live
Day One telecast, the press conference, special events, and air shows
at plant locations.
r Advertising in international and national media announced the
merger.
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Then, in a stab at show biz, CEOs Phil Condit and Harry Stonecipher launched Phil and Harrys Excellent Adventure, a road show
that had them walking production lines, shaking hands, ipping
merger burgers at outdoor employee lunches, signing autographs,
answering questions, and sharing the moment with employees. At one
plant in Huntington Beach, California, their arrival was greeted with
sustained employee applause for 7 minutes.
For the two former rivals and their companies, the merger went
well, especially to those employees who werent excessed.
How a Bank Gave Away $20 Million
An article in Public Relations Journal tells how the Bank of America

got a warm response from its 50,000 employees: It gave them stock
worth $20 million.1
From 1985 to 1987, Bank of America lost $1.8 billion. It dropped
its stock dividend and even sold its headquarters building. It reduced
its staff and fought off a hostile takeover attempt.
The loss was cyclical, and by February 1989, the stock dividend
was reinstated. But there was another problem. A survey determined
that only about half the banks employees were satised with the
recognition they received.
To remedy this situation, the bank awarded each employee 10
shares of stock and an extra day off. The gift was mailed simultaneously to all employees, and the package included a letter of praise
from the banks CEO.
Employees were totally surprised and gratied with the gift, and
thousands sent the CEO expressions of appreciation. They even called
local newspapers to publicize the banks generosity.
There may be no correlation, but 1989 was a great year for the
Bank of America. Its prots soared to $1.1 billion, until that date the
most in its 85-year history.
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATIONS IN PRINT,

VIDEO, SATELLITE, AND ONLINE
The preparation of employee communications in every form is an important component of an organizations total PR program. The concept of employee communications and publications has been around
105
for more than 70 years and today has reached a high degree of
specialization.
The primary role of employee communications is to boost morale.
But in a larger sense, it does more. It tells employees:
r How well the company is doing in the marketplace.
r Where the company is headed and how it is going to get there.
r How employees t in with these plans.
r What technological developments have occurred within the company and industry.
Typically, company publications emanate from the corporate employee communications department. Often, in a large organization
a permanent staff of editors, writers, and designers is responsible
for these publications and lms. Many companies publish multiple employee publications targeted to specic audiences within the
organization. At one point, AT&T even published a daily newsletter available on 75 electronic mail networks within the company.
Recipients posted paper copies for coworkers who didnt have
computers.
The Tools of Employee Communications
Here we look at some individual components of employee communications.

Annual Reports. These are produced primarily for stockholders
and the investment community, but some organizations distribute
them to some individual employees. At times, a corporation will publish an abbreviated employee annual report. We cover annual reports
in the chapter on investor relations.
Bulletin Boards. The old-fashioned bulletin board with its safety
information and social notices is still with us. It hasnt gone high-tech,
but today its more graphic.
Internal Video. Video is used internally to announce corporate policy, and even for assembly line workers for training purposes. Some
videos even show the companys TV commercials and sponsored
programming.
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Management and Employee Publications. Large corporations

publish employee publications for various reasons. One giant auto
manufacturing organization conducted management research that
uncovered a lack of trust between management and labor, poor communications throughout the division, decision making limited to a
handful, minimal employee involvement, and unpredictable leadership. Top management was determined to improve the divisions
negative image among employees.
A number of programs were instituted, including face-to-face discussions between supervisors and employees and a complete overhaul
of the divisions employee publications. The program was a success.
Management and labor interaction vastly improved employee relations, and a comprehensive network of employee publications geared
to specic audiences was launched.
A single-page daily newsletter was distributed to 20,000 employees
consisting of news about the division, the entire industry, and the
parent company.
A six-page monthly tabloid was mailed to every employees and
retirees home.
A bimonthly newsletter, Report to Supervisors, was distributed to
3,000 managers and supervisors. The corporation also published a
quarterly newsletter, Joint Activities, written and funded by the division and its union.
What we see here is a progressive approach to the improvement
of employee relationsthe use of company publications to reach employees with specialized information.
Some Unique Employee Publications
In 1999, PRCENTRALs Cipra awards honored a number of outstanding employee publications. We discuss a few of them here.
The e-IBMer. Heres a unique employee publication. Until July
1998, IBM was publishing a paper newsletter for its Chinese-speaking
employees in mainland China. The company decided to convert it to
a quarterly intranet webzine and engaged Ogilvy PR Worldwide to
oversee the development and production of the project.
Ogilvy was involved in conceptualizing and designing the layout
template of the webzine, as well as in the copywriting, translation,
graphic design, and technical work required to put the project
together.
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The e-IBMer, as the webzine was named, became a Chineselanguage publication available to IBM employees around the world
through the companys intranet system. It was available in both
simplied and traditional Chinese characters and had stories, photographs, and images in each edition.
Ogilvy supervises the production of the e-zine, including copy, design, and layout, while another vendor handles web design and programming. Plans call for the e-IBMer to become a Web site with
regular updates and a wide variety of Chinese-language content.
IBM reports strong positive feedback for the e-zine, and employees
appreciate having a Chinese-language resource. Not only is this e-zine
more effective than a print magazine, its also cheaper and faster to
produce.
Newsletters. Various kinds of organizations issue employee newsletters. Some are printed in color and showcase new company developments. These newsletters often include folksy employee proles with
questions on all-time favorite movie and most unique item on my
desk. New appointments and company awards are another staple of
these publications.
Online Communications. E-mail messages are very popular. Intranets are also used to exchange information. Some companies
communicate with employees via an internal wire service carrying
company news online every day. Many of these are also used to communicate serious issues such as prots, possible pay cuts, and rings.
Satellite TV. Large organizations use satellite TV as part of a multimedia system for communications with their employees and management groups.
Federal Express Corporation beams original informational programs via a satellite TV system to its 85,000 employees in more than
1,100 locations in north America, Great Britain, and other parts of
Europe.
Ford Motor Company uses satellite TV as part of a multimedia
system for communications with its 360,000 employees and management groups.
Using Video as an Employee Communications Tool. When the
Boeing Company wanted to convey to its employees its new policy on drugs and alcohol, it created a 16-minute video narrated by a
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Boeing employee who described herself as a recovering alcoholic

in an emotional plea to her fellow workers.
Videos are also being used to turn out sales promotion motivational
lms. They are used in stockholder meetings and as a means to tell
the companys nancial story to security analysts.
How does the development of video and VNR as a PR tool t into
the plans of future PR people? It creates a demand for visually literate
specialistsproducers, writers, directors, and editors.
Wal-Mart uses founder Sam Waltons store visits as simultaneous
video meetings with thousands of stores by hooking them up with
very-small-aperture terminals (VSATs).
Southwest Airlines produced an internal rap video with its CEO,
Herb Kelleher, as a veejay, and employees from maintenance crew to
pilots extolling the virtues of the carrier.
EDELMAN PUBLIC RELATIONS WORLDWIDE WINS

SILVER ANVIL AWARD FOR SELF-ASSESSMENT
OF ITS INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
In 1999, Edelman Worldwides Employee Satisfaction Survey determined that the rm was moving so fast it was not communicating its
mission to its own employees.
Edelman set up an international task force to implement a comprehensive program it called VMV (Vision, Mission, and Values). The
effort was so well executed that the rm submitted it to PRSAs Silver
Anvil Awards competition 2000, where it won the prize in the Internal Communications category. We present the text of this award here
as an outstanding example in this practice area:
Creating a Shared Focused Future
Edelman Public Relations Worldwide with Edelman Public
Relations Worldwide
Silver Anvil Awards 00 Category 12A Internal Communications
(6BW-0012A07)
Overview
The more than 1800 employees of Edelman Worldwide are working
at a rm that has been going through a period of enormous growth
and change. In the last four years, the company has increased its staff
globally by 73%, expanded its network into such diverse geographical
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areas as South America and Asia, and extended the number of ofces
handling more global accounts by 25%. All this has been exciting,
productive and positive. But the more the rm changed, and the bigger
and more diverse it became, it emerged that Edelman needed to crystallize a center. It was imperative to identify a core set of principles and
beliefs that the staff could share and that would help them every day
in making decisions, in dening who they are, and in guiding where
they are going.
Research
A 1998 Employee Satisfaction Survey taken by Thomas L. Harris/
Impulse Research and prepared for Edelman Worldwide found that the
rms employees: felt the company was moving in the right direction
(76%); wanted the rm to develop a way to universally communicate
the companys values and commitment to its employees as only 38%
felt they were well-informed about the companys goals.
During the 1998 International Managers Meeting, 80 senior executives:
1. Reviewed the rms current Mission Statement and felt it represented the company as an international rm, not a global one.
It also didnt communicate specic values nor use language that
was culturally connected with all ofces.
2. Endorsed a process to evolve the rms VMV.
3. Stipulated ground rates for the process and suggested potential
roadblocks.
Secondary research indicated there is a need for an organizational
culture, whose strategies, processes, and people are managed by a common vision, purpose, and set of values.
Planning
Evolving the rms Vision, Mission, and Values was developed in concert with the Ken Blanchard Companies, but executed by the employees
of Edelman Worldwide working with the rms Human Resources Department. The two-phase plan incorporated ndings from the research,
and the rms business and personal employee objectives.
Objectives.
r Evolve Edelman Vision, Mission and Values to represent the companys business and its employees.
r Launch VMV into the Edelman global culture.
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Strategies
r Involve all levels of employees in the rms VMV process.

r Leverage each ofces culture and people to launch VMV.
r Demonstrate corporate commitment to insuring VMV implementation.
Target audience: Employees.
Materials and resources used: Focus groups, online questionnaires
and global online chats, newsletters, e-mail alerts, screensavers,
plaques, adaptable presentations, and a video demonstrating senior
managements commitment to the VMV process and the need for employees to give feedback.
Execution
Phase 1
A series of meetings brought employees together for input on the rms
VMV:
r The VMV recommendations from the 9/98 International Managers Meeting were reviewed and adapted by the Executive
Committee that includes Richard Edelman.
r An International Task Force of 13 employees met (l/99) in New
York to rene the Executive Committee draft so it represented a
multicultural voice. They then scheduled a series of focus groups
(MarchApril) in each of the rms 38 ofces, or asked employees
to give input on-line to the rms Knowledge Channel Intranet
site.
r Feedback from nearly 800 employees was coded, assessed, and
delivered (MayJune) with recommendations to the Task Force,
who through a series of online global chats redened the 1/99
draft to reect employee input.
r The Task Force presented the VMV statements at the International Managers Meeting (7/99) and recommended launch activities to communicate the VMV. The statements were applauded
by all in attendance. In one year, the process had come full circle.
Phase II
To respect each ofces culture, every ofce was given the opportunity
to launch VMV in its own way. Collateral materials were sent with the
window of launch (9/9911/99).
r Local VMV directors (employees) worked with regional task

force members. Launch included an adaptable presentation, discussion topics, role plays, and collateral materials.
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r Corporate Edelman demonstrated its commitment to VMV by

incorporating the Values as criteria in the performance Management Process and the Employee Incentive Plan.
Evaluation
Objective 1: Evolve Vision, Mission, and Values to represent the companys business and its employees.
r More than 69% of those who participated viewed the initiative

as positive, and more than 62% valued the feedback opportunity.
r There is strong employee consensus that the VMV process had

been true to the original goals, and the nal statements reect
staff input. As the Frankfurt ofce wrote: the down to earth
tonality of the statements proves that these values were developed
by those who should live them and not by executives in some topoor ofce.
r Employees feel the VMV encourages staff to be accountable to
each other, their clients and the industry. The Singapore ofce
said: they are, a comprehensive overview of what we need to
make Edelman a strong company.
Objective 2: Launch VMV into the Edelman global culture.
r An estimated 95% of employees attended the VMV introduc-
r
r
r
tions in the rms 38 ofces. Reports indicate global acceptance

and support for the VMV in actions, and in the daily use of the
paperweights, screensavers, and plaques as reminders to live the
Edelman values.
Each ofce created special implementation programs to take
VMV beyond the launch: VMV Employee Awards, designated
Living the Values months, VMV training seminars and workshops, Values buddy ofce systems, community volunteer programs, and so on.
The VMV Champions continue to be an active network with
Edelman HR to develop new internal VMV programs, and are
now beginning to take VMV to clients and the industry.
Employees are using the Employee Appraisals that incorporate
the Values system, and management is using VMV as criteria in
the Employee Incentive Program.
Although Edelman did not publicize the VMV process externally,
InsidePR in its 1999 Agency Report Card wrote: Theres an
increased emphasis [at Edelman] on valuesquality, integrity,
respect, entrepreneurial spirit, mutual benets.
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Face-to-Face Communication at Navistar
A letter from John R. Horne, CEO of Navistar International, a large

manufacturing organization, to the Cipra 2000 judges won an award
in the practice area of employee communications.
Navistar manufactures trucks, school buses, and engines. It employs 19,000 people at 14 major locations.
Horne forgoes the traditional newsletters and videos in favor of
face-to-face meetings with all his employees throughout the year. At
some plants he spends 12 straight hours in the plant so he can meet
with employees from all three shifts, but eschews handshakes in favor
of meetings with small groups at break areas next to the assembly
lines or in nearby conference rooms. He has informal lunches with
front-line supervisors, local diversity councils, wellness committees,
and plant staffs.
Members of Hornes communications team work with the sites in
advance to draw up a ow for the visits. Then, during the visits, they
take notes and keep track of items to be followed up.
Other company executives visit work sites during the year, then
have periodic meetings with Horne at headquarters once a month to
review the programs progress.
The visits also give Horne and his staff opportunities to meet with
union presidents, bargaining chairmen, and stewards. He credits one
such meeting at a plant in Canada as the reason the company got a
very competitive union contract.
Hornes communications team is made up of his own corporate
communications staff, consultants from PR rms, and subject experts
from different areas. Horne says that the face-to-face program has
given him an opportunity to meet employees. In one situation, he met
a front supervisor who routinely found a way to cover the work of a
woman who had to leave periodically to care for her brain-damaged
child.
Employee communications and employee relations make up a sophisticated public relations component. At many large corporations,
employee relations is a province of the public relations and public
affairs department. Also, large public relations counsel rms have
specializations in this area.
C H A P T E R 10
Speechwriting,
Speechmaking,
and Executive
Presentations
rite dynamite speeches. Get to hang out with the CEO.

Make $100,000 a year, and move up the corporate ladder.
Thats the fantasy of many young PR people. The reality is
that few climb to the upper rungs of this specialization, and many
corporate speechwriters are called on to write speeches for less-thandynamic speakers about unglamorous subjects.
Yet speechwriting remains an attractive pursuit even when it means
writing for a corporate head facing a group of skeptical stock analysts
or a big-city mayor addressing a belligerent city council.
How wide is the market for speechwriters? It is estimated that about
one-third of Fortune 500 companies have a chief executive speechwriter whose main responsibility is writing speeches for CEOs. And
yes, these are power jobs. At least half of the top speechwriters earn
at least $100,000 per year with an average of about $85,000.
Salary is not the only factor in these jobs. The clout and prestige
come from being close to the top strata of management. In a sense,
speechwriters also act as advisers to their bosses.
But before you rush off to take speechwriting 101, let us remind you that not all speechwriters write for CEOs. Some are
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considered midlevel employees and write speeches for lesser folk for
less money.
How long does it take to write a speech? Chief executive speechwriters spend an average of 50 hours on a major address, of which 20
hours are spent on research and 15 on the rst draft, and they prepare
an average of 30 speeches per year. What do speechwriters do with the
rest of their time? Often, they ghostwrite bylined articles for executives for the trade and consumer press and the investment community.
And they do lots of reading and spend time reading others speeches.
FOUR SKILLS OF SPEECHWRITING
1. Speechwriting is a creative craft. Some CEOs and executives choose

to speak from an outline rather than from a prepared script. Doing
so frees the executive from having to read every word and instead
allows the speaker to concentrate on motivating the audience. The
speechwriters preparation is no less intense.
2. The speechwriter must be able to write the way one speaks, not the
way one writes to be read. And, although the speechwriter cannot
instill dynamism in a speaker with a dull voice and presentation, he
or she can sprinkle a speech with enough humor and spice to make
it listenable.
3. It is important to stress openings in attracting the audiences
interest and attention. Use humor, but dont blow it with a bad
joke, and realize that your speaker is not a skilled stand-up comic.
Surely, many of us have seen stand-ups fall on their faces in comedy
clubs.
A basic rule for using humor in a speech comes from Helen K.
Copley of the Copley Press: Make sure the joke is inoffensive,
self-directed, short and clear, requires no explanation, and has a
snappy punch line comprising single-syllable words.
4. Wittiness and conciseness are key attributes of good speeches.
Heres an excerpt from The Executive Speaker:
Presenters (speechmakers) would do well to remember when
adapting their goals to their group what the Reverend William
Sloane Coffin said about the length of an effective sermon: No
souls are saved after twenty minutes.
The Executive Speaker (www.executive-speaker.com) is a clearinghouse for speechwriters and speakers, offering information about
SPEECHWRITING, SPEECHMAKING, PRESENTATIONS
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books, seminars and workshops, video and audio cassettes, and an

archive of more than 6,000 speeches.
It also conducts a full spectrum of business communications seminars. Readers can download a free copy of Tom Kirbys 117 Ideas
for Better Business Presentation from its Web site.
Here are a few highlights on the subject of speechmaking:
r Control nervousness by knowing your subject cold. Be overprepared, and know exactly what your opening line is going to be.
r Keep your audiences attention by speaking so the person in the last
row can hear you, using rst person stories when possible, and
be sure to pause occasionally.
r Concentrate on your opening remarks. The well-known comic
George Jessel said this about speeches: If you havent struck oil in
three minutes, stop boring!
r In handling Q&A and trying to get people to ask questions, break
the ice by asking easy conversational questions yourself.
r Dont deliver a speech verbatim. Its a painfully boring process.
Kirby includes in his 117 Ideas a few dozen absolute no-exception donts, specics on nancial and technical talks, and on-camera
techniques.
Another source for group and individual programs on writing and
delivering speeches is The Professional Voice. Log onto its Web site:
www.professionalvoice.com.
In his book The Practice of Public Relations (7th edition), Fraser
P. Seitel divides the speechwriting process into four essential phases:
preparing, interviewing (the speaker), researching, and organizing and
writing. He also stresses the need for the speechwriter to know the
topic clearly and have it well dened before the research is begun.
One veteran speechwriter, Ed Stanulis, adds some additional tips
to speechwriters:1
I imagine myself as my chairman speaking to stock analysts at the
Harvard Club in New York as hes about to promote his companys
stock to these analysts in a speech. I become a character actor for him
and try to imitate him when I write.
To get to know the executives he writes for, Stanulis reads the

magazines they read, watches the TV programs they watch, learns
about their outside interests, and knows their historical background.
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He never knows when some tidbit from these activities or background

can be used in a speech.
Stanulis writes the middle of the speech rst, then writes the introduction and conclusion last. His output at the time of the article was
about 40 or 50 speeches a year.
RESEARCHING THE SPEAKING EVENT
The speechwriter must research the event thoroughly. One speechwriting professional has a checklist of 25 pieces of information he
needs to know before he writes a speech. These include:
r Will the speaker stay behind the lectern or will he or she wander
among the audience members?
r What is the male-to-female and minority composition of the
audience?
r What is the audiences attitude toward the corporation or group?
r What is the physical setup of the room in which the speech will
take place?
Timothy J. Koranda, a veteran speechwriter, sums it up: Speechwriting is a personal service like psychiatry. And like a psychiatrist, the
speechwriter needs to know whats on the chairmans mind.
Ideally, the speechwriter should report directly to the chairperson and
be his or her alter ego.2
CAREER TIP: HOW TO BECOME A SPEECHWRITER
1. Listen to the great speaker/motivators: Jesse Jackson, Robert

Schuller, and Deepak Chopra.
2. Access speeches on the Internet. Evaluate their subject matter.
3. Attend speechwriting forums. Theyre held in dozens of cities,
including Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis, Houston, Chicago, and
Washington, D.C. The local club of PR professionals will know
the dates of these forums.
4. Volunteer to write a speech for a local political group or charitable organization.
5. Network with the chief speechwriter in your organization. Go
through the steps he or she takes when writing a speech.
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6. Invent a topic and write a speech about itsay, a speech your

CEO will make to a group of Japanese businessmen interested
in investing in your industry.
7. Read all you can about speechwriting and speechmaking. Two
good books are Peggy Noonans What I Saw at the Revolution
and Richard Goodwins Remembering America. Noonan wrote
speeches for President Ronald Reagan and the senior George
Bush. Goodwin wrote speeches for four presidents.
While researching this chapter I came upon one of the best speeches
Ive ever read. And what was it about? Making and writing speeches. It
was written by Charles Francis and delivered to the New York chapter
of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).
The speech deals with the bete noir of all speech professionalsthe
b word, boredom. His message is for those who make and write
speeches, and even for those who have to listen to them.
Francis worked as a journalist with United Press International
(UPI), and then spent several years working in public relations for
the University of California at Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. Later,
he held senior corporate communications posts with IBM.
Today, Charles Francis runs IdeaBank, an Internet research service designed specically for professional communications people. A
free trial to this service is available by logging onto his Web site at
www.idea-bank.com.
Here is a transcript of Charles Franciss IABC speech.
How to Stop Boring Your Audience to Death
By Charles Francis
Charles Francis is president of IdeaBank, Inc. His remarks were delivered to the New York Chapter of the International Association of
Business Communicators in New York City on January 16, 1996.
As professionals who earn your living communicating with people,
and helping others to do the same, I know you all grapple daily with
that implacable forceaudience boredom.
Its a challenge, no matter what medium you are usingprint, video,
or human speech. It isnt that people arent interested. Its just that,
from the time we open our eyes in the morning to when we go to bed
at night, all of us are assailed by messages of every kind and description. They emanate from the radio, newspaper, television, magazines,
the daily mail, billboardseven the screens of our personal computers.
I read recently that no less than 70% of what one hears is forgotten an
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hour after hearing it. There is a catchy acronym for this lack of memorability. Its called MYGLO for My Eyes Glaze Over, a physical phenomenon that takes over the minute you lose the audiences attention.
The famous advertising man David Ogilvy perhaps said it best, No
one ever sold anybody anything by boring them to death.
There are three magic talismans that can greatly increase your ability
to hold peoples attention. They are known to every professional writer
and speaker but even professionals dont call on their occult powers
as often as they could. These three powerful Genies are, simply: quotations, anecdotes, and humor. Lets examine each of them in turn.
For reasons I have never been able to understand, some speakers shy
away from using quotations, thinking perhaps that their use will make
their remarks sound stilted. [Former] President George Bush was on
record as telling his speechwriter that I dont want any more quotations from that guy Thucydides. True, the name of that ancient
Greek historian is a mouthful for anyone, but if the thought is important enough to express, why not just say A famous historian once
said, etcetera?
No one made better use of quotations than that unrivaled communicator Winston Churchill. By his own admission, quotation collections
were a lling station to fuel his eloquence. Quotations, he said,
when engraved upon the memory give you good thoughts.
As someone who has on his library shelves more than 1,000 quotation books of all descriptions, I can assure you that Churchill was right.
Browsing through them can be stimulating and thought-provoking
even if you end up not using a single quotation. That is because there
is not a thought in our heads that has not been worn shiny by someone
elses brains. Mark Twain used to maintain that Adam was the only
man who could say something with the assurance that he was the rst
man on earth to say it.
Presidents Jack Kennedy and Ronald Reagantwo of the most
gifted speakers of the 20th centuryboth were fond of quotations
and used them with great effectiveness. As a young man running for
Congress in his native Boston, Kennedy carried around a loose-leaf
notebook containing his favorite quotations. Reagan, who before entering politics was a professional speaker for the General Electric
Company, learned to use quotations, anecdotes, and humor with a
skill that later on in his presidency earned him the title, The Great
Communicator.
Both Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt occasionally
used poetry to strengthen their communications. During the early days
of World War II, when Britain stood alone against Hitler, and before
America entered the war, Churchill sent Roosevelt an urgent appeal for
supplies and arms to aid Britain in its desperate plight. As he struggled
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with the political difculties of doing this, Roosevelt sent Churchill

a personal message in his own handwriting containing the following
verse from a poem by Longfellow, adding that this applies to your
people as it does to us.
Sail on O Ship of State!
Sail on, O Union, strong and great!
Humanity with all its fears,
With all the hopes of future years,
Is hanging breathless on thy fate!
On receiving the American Presidents message, Churchill renewed
his plea for aid in a radio broadcast from a subterranean command
center. He read aloud the Longfellow verse Roosevelt had sent him,
concluding with these words: Give us the tools and we will nish the
job. He got the aid he requested and it sustained his embattled nation
until help arrived.
Since I am owner of an online research service used by many professional speechwriters, I am sometimes asked how many quotations one
can put in a speech. Certainly, too much of anything is never a good
idea. However, I once had occasion to analyze an eloquent speech by
the noted educator and public servant John Gardner. He was addressing a prestigious group of management consultants on the importance
of personal and corporate renewal.
Gardner, who possesses one of the most original minds I know,
used or alluded to 17 different quotations during a 20-minute talk.
Yet the entire presentation was totally seamless. Blended into his text
were quotations by such diverse personalities as S. N. Behrman, Yogi
Berra, Norman Douglas, Joe Louis, Logan Pearsall Smith, Robert Louis
Stevenson, and Pope John XXIII. It was a cornucopia of interesting and
provocative thought on an important subject. When he was nished,
Gardner received a standing ovation.
A kissing cousin of good quotations are proverbs. They are the distilled wisdom of all nations. Many are humorous and all are memorable. The Afghanistan proverb, If you deal in camels, make the doors
high, says as much about how to achieve customer satisfaction as any
article in the Harvard Business Review.
Each of you probably would dene what an anecdote is in a different
way. My own denition is simply that an anecdote is a story that has
a point or moral. Anecdotes are probably among the most powerful
communications tools ever discovered by man. Jesus used them for his
teaching and we know them as parables. Abraham Lincoln used them
and lled them with a wry humor that came from his boyhood on the
American frontier.
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Once, when Lincoln was telling one of his stories at a Cabinet meeting during the darkest days of the Civil War, he was criticized by a
Cabinet member for telling humorous stories in such terrible times.
Lincoln replied, If I didnt tell stories at times like these, I think I
should die. Then he asked the cabinet to read the draft of a document he had been preparing for months. It was the Emancipation
Proclamation.
Lincoln used anecdotal stories with telling effectiveness all his life.
As a young lawyer in Illinois, he was pleading a case before a jury
when he became convinced that he was losing, even though right was
on his side. So he told the jury this story.
A farmer back home was sitting on his front porch, Lincoln said,
when suddenly his six-year old son came running from the barn saying, Father, father, the hired man is in the hayloft with Big Sister. The
hired man is pulling down his pants and Big Sister is lifting up her skirts,
and I fear they are going to pee on the hay. Now, now, Son, said the
farmer calmly, you have all the facts right but you have reached the
wrong conclusion.
The jury roared with laughter and Lincoln won his case handily.
While we are on the subject of anecdotes, let me say that no anecdote is more effective than one which comes directly from your own
experience, something you saw with your own eyes, something you
heard with your own ears. Audiences remember these long after the
rest of your talk is forgotten. But if the anecdote you tell makes the
point you are trying to make, that is what you are after anyway.
Pete Peterson, the Wall Street nancier, is in demand as a speaker all
over the world. He has said he frequently meets up with someone who
has heard him speak months or years before and they will compliment
him on the ne speech he gave. But, he says, they never play back
to me the serious remarks I made, they always remember some bit of
humor I used to dramatize a serious point. For this reason, he has
developed what he calls the Peterson Principle. If you want anything
to stick to the bone, use some humor that is relevant to your message.
When one talks about using humor in speeches, many people think
you mean putting a joke at the beginning to warm up the audience. It
doesnt matter to them whether it has a relevant point or not, just to
do it is funny. Nothing could be worse or more counterproductive to
gaining favor with the audience. Real humor reaches out to members of
the audience and includes them in the fun. Real humor shows them you
are someone they would like to know better. Real humor is always in
good taste and should always be appropriate to the message you wish
to get across.
John Cleese, a British comedian who has made a fortune in the eld
of business humor [videotapes, etc.], says that If I can get you to laugh
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with me, you like me better, which makes you more open to my ideas.
And if I can persuade you to laugh at the particular point I make, by
laughing at it, you acknowledge its truth.
Unless you are a gifted raconteur, telling a joke is one of the worlds
most dangerous activities. New York Times columnist Russell Baker
likens it to walking among a nest of rattlesnakes. If the audience doesnt
laugh, you are standing there with egg on your face. It is much safer to
use a few humorous quotations at appropriate places in your speech.
If the audience doesnt laugh, you havent lost anything. If you get a
few chuckles, thats a bonus, and if you get some loud laughter, thats
wonderful!
Sam Ervin, Jr., was a U.S. Senator from North Carolina who earned
fame for leading the investigation of the Watergate scandal. A
gentleman of the old school, with a Southern accent that dripped with
charm, Ervin wrote the following denition of humor when he was
85. I have never seen better.
Humor, he said, is one of Gods most marvelous gifts. Humor
gives us smiles, laughter, and gaiety. Humor reveals the roses and hides
the thorns. Humor makes our heavy burdens light and smooths the
rough spots in our pathways. Humor endows us with the capacity to
clarify the obscure, to simplify the complex, to deate the pompous,
to chastise the arrogant, to point a moral, and to adorn a tale.
If I have convinced you that quotations, anecdotes, and humor can
be powerful preventatives to a sudden outbreak of MYGLO in your
audience, where do you nd the really good material? The answer, of
course, is everywhere.
Read your daily newspaper with an eye for items that catch your
fancy and that can be used to spice up a talk or article you are planning.
Television is lled with good material. Everything can be grist for your
milleven a funny remark made by one of your children at the dinner
table. A little girls comment that Socrates was a wise man who went
around giving people advice, but they poisoned him, could make a
wonderful self-effacing opening for a talk at your local service club on
how to solve some local problems.
Then, of course, there are computer-driven sources such as
CD-ROM collections of material, online sources such as America Online, Compuserve, Prodigy, and even the Internet. These give you access
to all kinds of information and it just takes some practice to use them
efciently.
Once your head is bulging with useful material, there remains admittedly the painful process of boiling it down into an interesting and
memorable presentation. For most of us, the task unfortunately is very
much like novelist Gene Fowlers description of writing. Writing, he
said, is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of
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blood form on your forehead. But do persevere. And never forget the
cardinal rule in any communications. You must convince the audience
that what you are saying will make a difference in their lives. You
is the most important word in the English language.
After writing your speech comes practice giving it and everyone
agrees this is of utmost importance, time-consuming as it may be.
Famous athletic coaches all agree that preparation is the key to winning
championships and the same is true of giving a successful speech. You
will nd the condence practice gives you is a wonderful panacea for
the nervousness you may experience when you mount to the podium.
Backed up by your research, the magnetic power of your three
magical servantsquotations, anecdotes, and humorand several
successful run-throughs, you are a candidate for, if not a standing
ovation, a really satisfying audience response to your message. You
wont end up feeling frustrated like the famous Mexican revolutionary
Pancho Villa, who is reported to have said on his deathbed, Dont let
it end like this. Tell them I said something.
C H A P T E R 11
Public Affairs,
Lobbying, and Issues
Management
hen George W. Bush won the election in December 2000, did

all those defeated members of Congress and White House
ofcials make the mean trek in the snow to the unemployment insurance ofces, or did they instead have their drivers
chauffeur them to their new lucrative jobs on K Street in downtown
Washington? K Street, for the uninitiated, is the home of hundreds of
lobbying and public affairs organizations eager to employ these legislators and ofcials for their inuence and relationship with former
colleagues and inside knowledge of the legislative process.
To deal with the Washington power structure, PR rms and corporations pay as much as seven-gure salaries to defeated brand-name
senators and $200,000 to $400,000 to lower prole names. And it
doesnt matter which party theyre from; the business community
wants the best lobbyists on issues such as tax cuts, social security,
mergers, and Medicare.
Some public affairs pros maintain that political campaigning and
lobbying is an ancient art. They claim that the rst recorded
political consultant was Quintus Cicero, author of a handbook on
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electioneering. He wrote it to help his brother win the consulship of

Rome in 63 B.C.
In developing the important component of public affairs, lets rst
begin with some basic denitions from Richard Weiners book
Websters New World Dictionary of Media and Communications:
Public affairsthe aspect of public relations that involves working
with governments and groups with regard to societal (public) policies,
action, and legislation; the relationship between an organization and a
government, community or society in general; public affairs sometimes
is used as a synonym for public relations, but more often the term
refers to activities that are thought to be in the public interest. In a
corporation, a public affairs ofcer or public affairs director is involved
with external publics and not with employees or shareholders.
Lobbyingoriginally [the lobby was] the area adjacent to the assembly hall of a legislature; it was open to nonlegislators, including individuals who congregated there to meet and inuence the lawmakers.
Lobbyists, in their modern context, act on behalf of special-interest
groups (sometimes called lobbies); that is, formal or informal organizations seeking to inuence public policy by urging the legislator to
vote for or against bills or other matters. The same process of lobbying may also be used in an effort to inuence government agencies and
other bodies.
Issues managementthe process of identifying problems and subjects relevant to an organization and then developing and executing
a program to resolve the problems. This systematic identication and
action generally involves public policy matters.
LOBBYING TODAY
To understand the interlocking network of lobbying, government, and

business today, it becomes necessary to go back more than 50 years.
Lobbyists then would buttonhole legislators on behalf of local issues,
and later maybe buy them a drink and dinner.
In Washington, D.C., up until the 1980s, a small number of lobbyists cultivated the committee heads of the Senate and the House
of Representatives on legislation relevant to the interests of their
client corporations or association groups. But with the dramatic
growth of multinational corporations, and the developments in information and technology in the 1990s, lobbying took a global turn.
Multinational corporations now needed representation not only in
PUBLIC AFFAIRS, LOBBYING, ISSUES MANAGEMENT
125
Washington, D.C., but also in Brussels, Beijing, and other world

capitals.
These developments hastened the need for talented people in tune
with the needs and demands of todays business environment. Heres
one example of todays top-level lobbying in action.1
In 1992, the Cassidy Companies, run by veteran Washington lobbyist Gerald S. J. Cassidy, represented the Electric Boat Division of
General Dynamics, manufacturer of the Seawolf class of nuclear attack submarines. Before he left ofce, former President George Bush
canceled the project. It was Cassidys job to keep it alive with the
incoming Clinton administration.
First, Cassidy brought all the Seawolf suppliers to Washington for
a meeting. Then the rm sought support from unions and oversaw
letter-writing campaigns, paid retired admirals to speak in local districts, and arranged meetings with as many editorial boards of newspapers as were willing to listen.
Cassidys big break came when President Clinton came out in favor
of the Seawolf. Eight years later, the project was still alive, in spite of
periodic raids by Congressional budget cutters who maintained that
the attack submarine was superuous.
In 1999, Cassidys company received a total of more than $20
million from their lobbying efforts. But they needed to expand to
effectively run a global operation. Their umbrella at that time covered lobbying operations (two companies), a public relations rm, a
research company that offered opinion and polling services, and a
group that specialized in law-related public relations.
But the story hardly ends there. In November 1999, Shandwick
USA, one of the 10 largest PR rms we covered in chapter 4, purchased
Cassidy and its associate rms for about $75 million.
And no one doubts that in the George W. Bush administration the
inuence of lobbying and public affairs in government will continue
to rise as it has in the previous decade.
Andrew Card, President George W. Bushs White House Chief of
Staff, came from the ranks of Washington lobbyists. According to the
Web site www.tompaine.com, Card helped the Big Three automakers,
Ford, General Motors, and Daimler Chrysler, spend nearly $25
million on their lobbying efforts in the 5-year period preceding
President Bushs inauguration.
By the year 2001, there were about 40,000 lobbyists in the United
States, and the cost of lobbying efforts reached $100 million a year.
And with the increasing sophistication of lobbying and public affairs,
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a number of huge rms are being formed offering many services including public relations, lobbying, research, polling, direct-mail
canvassing, and specialists who work on drumming up grass-roots
support for issues.
Who are the clients of lobbyists or groups who employ lobbyists?
We have already mentioned multinational corporations, but we add
to the list foundations, industry and trade associations, labor unions,
philanthropic organizations, and advocacy groups.
One such group is the National Rie Association, headquartered in
Washington, D.C., with the single-issue orientation of opposing legislation that would restrict the use of guns. To achieve this objective,
the NRA engages in a sophisticated campaign directed at legislators
and their staffs, as well as at the general public.
Politically, lobbyists work across the spectrum from liberal groups
such as Americans for Democratic Action, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Planned Parenthood, to the Conservative Caucus and
the National Right to Life Committee.
A LOOK AT LOBBYING IN A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION YEAR
Readers of my book The Newspaper: Everything You Need to Know

to Make It in the Newspaper Business know that you dont have to
read more than your newspapers headlines and subheads on the front
page to gain a sense of what you may or may not want to read about.
In the 2000 election year, I scanned the headlines of the Los Angeles
Times for stories that offered an insight into the oft-maligned profession of lobbying. Here are a few selections:
Convention 2000/The Democratic Convention, August 17,
2000: Receptions Here are Warmand Fuzzy. Exclusive
parties give lobbyists and executives prized access to public
ofcials without the scrutiny or disclosure that lobbying usually requires.
Convention 2000/The Democratic Convention, August 13,
2000: Cash Making Its Presence Known at the Conventions. The events bring together private interests that need
friendly treatment from government with ofcials who need
money for an attention-getting political gala.
Internet Firms Gain Foothold in Washington, March 12,
2000. Policy: Debates over privacy and taxation force many
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high-tech rms to set up lobbying branches. Move to inuence

legislation is a sea change from prior attitudes toward dealing
with government.
Campaign 2000, February 20, 2000: 5 Lobbyists, as Friends,
Help Gores Rise. Campaign: Very nature of inner circle
raises questions. All insist they do everything to avoid appearance of conict.
For our own comment, we plead the Fifth.
LOBBYING OFF THE BELTWAY
Clearly, Washington is the home base of hundreds of lobbyists, but

lobbying and advocacy are no less important elsewhere. The issues
and the conicts may be in Europe, Asia, or even Africa. The solution
still requires educating and activating the constituencies.
Lets look at some examples of lobbying that illustrate its use in
various situations and places:
r In a Western state, a rm that placed TV in classrooms paid
lobbyists $640,000 to ght legislation that would ban television
commercials in school programs.
r A heated battle over Canadian forests became a PR war about the
environment. A Greenpeace pioneer lobbied for British Columbias
timber industry with a message targeted at the United States.
r Waste rms courted politicians with lobbyists at City Hall in Los
Angeles in their attempt to get lucrative contracts for landlls and
waste bins. They spent almost $1 million in 3 years for high-powered
lobbying campaigns.
GRASS-ROOTS ACTIVITIES MEAN PUSHING

DIFFERENT BUTTONS
Lobbying and advocacy for public affairs professionals most often

mean selling their positions on issues to elected ofcials and bureaucrats. Yet today these practitioners are vastly stepping up grass-roots
activities to reach their objectives, particularly at the state and local
level.
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What form does grass-roots activity take? A basic approach is meeting with citizen boards and community activists, as well as newspaper
editors, labor and education leaders, local business people, and, of
course, the general public.
Grass-roots activities often call upon mobilizing the public to write,
phone, fax, and e-mail state and federal legislators about issues. Newsletters are another tool, as are op-ed columns in local newspapers.
Common Cause and Public Citizen are watchdogs in grass-roots
efforts to expose sham groups posing as consumer organizations.
POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEES
Political action committees (PACs), a political development of the

last 30 years, are a sensitive issue. PACs are dened as a group of
people in business, labor, the professions, or other areas organized
by special interests to raise funds to be contributed to candidates,
political parties, and others involved in government and public affairs.
They are controversial because of their role in funding and inuencing
elections. By the end of 1999, PACs were contributing more than $200
million a year to Congressional candidates alone.
Lobbying and PACs are components of the broad subject of public
affairs.
THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL AND THE FOUNDATION

FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS
The Public Affairs Council is a Washington-based membership group

of more than 600 companies and noncorporate organizations that
seeks to advance the practice of public affairs.
The Foundation for Public Affairs is the research and information
clearinghouse afliate of the Public Affairs Council.
Home Depot, AT&T, Hallmark Cards, the National Association
of Broadcasters, Pzer, Inc., the Bank of America, the Association of
American Medical Colleges, and all the major PR counsel rms, corporations, organizations, and associations are members of the Public
Affairs Council.
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., this dynamic group offers
advice, counsel, and research on topics of vital interest to any corporate or association public affairs practice.
129
When we dene public affairs today, these are some of the issues
we address:
Politics: campaign nance, PACs, political education, voter
registration/get-out-the-vote efforts, good citizenship programs.
Public affairs management: performance measurement and evaluation, benchmarking, strategic planning, organization and
stafng, technology utilization, staff training and development, Professional ethics, communication tools, maximizing
external resources, public affairs competencies.
Government relations: local, state, federal, international.
Advocacy: coalition building, grass-roots programs.
Corporate community involvement: community relations, corporate contributions, volunteerism.
Corporate issues: emerging issues, issues management.
From this list we can readily understand the complexity and diversity of the broad area of public affairs. Issues management, for example, takes place in a number of arenas: federal and state issues, social
trends, economic analyses, and international events. And a large corporation is involved with its community, which may be international
and may involve issues of contributions and volunteerism.
The Dynamics of the New, New Public Affairs
Douglas G. Pinkham, president of the Public Affairs Council, used

the title The Dynamics of the New, New Public Affairs for an article in the 2000 Annual Report of the council. In it, he reviews the
mercurial growth of Internet access in the United States70% by the
end of 2000more than the combined circulation of The New York
Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street
Journal, USA Today, Time, and Newsweek. And the number of Web
sites went from only 26,000 in 1993 to more than 5 million in 1999.
What are some of the ways this technological development has
manifested itself in the eld of public affairs?
r Activists have launched watchdog Web sites to challenge a corporations policies.
r In the 2000 presidential election all major party presidential candidates maintained Web sites. The White House has been online
since 1993.
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CHAPTER 11
FIGURE 11.1 The Foundation for Public Affairs report, Creating a Digital
Democracy, covers the widespread impact of the Internet on public affairs.
(Courtesy the Foundation for Public Affairs)
131
r In 1998, Jesse Ventura used e-mail and the Internet to mount his
successful third-party run for governor of Minnesota.
r Leading companies are posting key issues on their intranets and
then asking staff to provide information updates and share ideas
on how different business units can address the same issue.
One would think that Congressional staffers would nd time for
reading all the media. An Opinion Leader Study conducted by the
Holm Group in October 1998 offers some interesting statistics on
the use of information by the staffers.2 Eighty percent read the
Washington Post and access the Internet almost daily, while only
about 30% read The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.
About 50% watch the network news daily, but only 30% watch public television news, even though the Jim Lehrer Show is a breath of
fresh air in the miasma of most network television news.
What are the major uses of the Internet for public affairs work?
r Monitor/research legislative/regulatory issues at the federal level.
r Monitor/research legislative/regulatory issues at the state level.
r Monitor media reports.
r Monitor/research public interest groups.
r Monitor news groups.
These are listed in the 19992000 State of Corporate Public Affairs
Survey.
In addition to the responsibilities shown here, a number of large
PR rms offer expertise in other areas of public affairs. An example
is ally development. Firms like Ogilvy PR form alliances by uniting
independent entities that share in the outcome of an issue.
Another service of PR rms in the public affairs area is litigation
support. This role is accomplished by managing the communications
environment surrounding litigation, which then creates opportunities
to shape balanced and fair perceptions and attitudes.
CASE STUDIES IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS

The Largest Merger in the History of Telecommunications
In May 1998, the giant SBC Communications planned a merger with

another titan, Ameritech. SBCs purchase price was a whopping $56
billion. It would be the largest such transaction in the history of
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FIGURE 11.2 The 2001 edition of the Public Affairs Councils journal, Public
Affairs Review, covers the salient issues, Managing the Public Affairs Function
Under Fire, and Whats Wrong With the Political System, and How Can It Be
Fixed. (Courtesy of Public Affairs Council)
telecommunications. But mergers like this one set up powerful

challenges from competitors, from employees fearing lost jobs, and
from the media, using expressions like phonopoly.
SBC faced its most daunting task in gaining state and federal regulatory approval, particularly from the Federal Communications Commission. Consider the size alone of this merged colossus: $46 billion
133
in annual revenues, more than 203,000 employees, and investments

in 22 countries.
To overcome objections to the merger, SBC and its PR counsel rm,
Fleishman-Hillard, structured its case on the premise that the merger
would increase competition, offer greater consumer choice, and offer
the ability to serve global customers worldwide.
The SBC team conducted a telephone survey of 1,200 residential and business customers in three Midwestern states. The results
determined that customers were most interested in improved telecom
technology and job growth.
SBC buttressed the research with the successful results of its
1997 merger with Pacic Telesis, which created 4,500 new jobs in
California, improved customer service, and resulted in the launch of
a $50 million program to support technologically underserved schools
and communities.
SBCs rst objective was regulatory approval. Then its strategy was
to shift the debate from contentions of monopoly and lost jobs to the
positive ndings of its research efforts.
The company also documented its excellent relationships with labor unions and announced plans to offer service in 30 major markets
as part of its national expansion strategy.
Once the merger was announced, SBC began publicity efforts in
many of the new markets it planned to compete in after approval of
the merger. The publicity campaign would be national as well as local.
First, SBC provided full documentation of the results of the previous
SBCPacic Telesis merger. Then a truth squad was formed, which
gave the media and employees ammunition to counter misinformation
from those opposed to the merger.
Many media relations tools were used to spread the word, including
talking points, letters, intranet updates, and fact sheets.
Media briengs were held outside the doors of hearing rooms.
Editorial board sessions featuring key representatives from both companies were conducted with major regional and national publications.
Commitments were made in the Ameritech region to keep employment levels and school and community support at or above premerger
levels. Progress on some promises was made even before the merger
approval.
The merger was approved by all regulatory bodies and received
the support of the Communications Workers of America, the largest
telecommunications union. More than 200 elected ofcials, business,
and consumer groups endorsed the merger, as did almost all the daily
newspapers in the new Ameritech region.
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SBC continued to issue key messages afrming that the merger

would maintain prices and improve customer service.
On the day after the merger was completed, SBC announced it
would proceed with local competition outside its traditional territory.
It unveiled the name of its new brand, SBC Telecom, and announced
it would serve new markets in Boston, Miami, and Seattle in October
2000.
For their efforts in this campaign, SBC and Fleishman-Hillard
received the coveted 2000 Silver Anvil Award in the category of public affairs: business/services, given by the Public Relations Society of
America.
How the Drug Industry Lobbies Washington
An article in The New York Times for November 4, 2001, is headed

A Muscular Lobby Rolls Up Its Sleeves. Its essence: the drug makers gain enormous access in Washington by spending more money
than any other industry to push its legislative agenda. According to
the advocacy group Public Citizen, the total for the year 2000 was
about $92 million, spent on such issues as Medicare, prescription benets, drug pricing, foreign drug imports, patients bill of rights, and
patents.
Consider the issue of patent extension. Drug companies receive
patent protection for their drugs for a xed number of years. Economically, this policy is necessary in order to compensate for the huge
research costs needed to bring a prescription drug to FDA approval
and to market. Once the drug reaches this stage, the pharmaceutical
company will spend many millions of dollars to convince the medical community and the general public that its drug is superior to
that of its competitor. Example: GlaxoSmithKline makes Paxil, while
Eli Lilly produces Prozac, American Home Products makes Effexor,
and Pzer, Zoloft, all of which are drugs used in the treatment of
depression.
Lobbying, a component of public affairs and public relations,
enters the equation when a drugs patent protection period is over
and cheaper generic drugs reach the market. In one situation quoted
in The New York Times article, Bristol-Myers Squibb, the maker of the
diabetes drug Glucophage, sought a three-year extension to its exclusivity so that the drugs effectiveness on children could receive further
study. Analysts estimated that the company would yield an additional
$1 billion in sales for every six months the patent was extended.
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The patent issue went high prole during 2001s anthrax crisis.
The Bayer companys Cipro was considered to be the primary drug
for treatment of this potentially deadly disease. Cipros sales in 2000
were $1.6 billion out of Bayers total pharmaceutical sales of $5.8
billion. Although Bayer toughed out a price reduction, it nally agreed
to lower its price substantially rather than risk loss of the patent.
The Players in the Lobbying Scenario
Obviously, with the high stakes in the prescription drug game, drug
makers need maximum access in Washington to promote their interests before the halls of government. How do they do it? One key
resource is the employment of defeated or retired congresspeople and
former government ofcials. As we noted earlier, these inuentials
amble their way to Washingtons K Street, there to gain employment as
high-priced lobbyists, in many cases for the pharmaceutical industry.
And, Democrat or Republican, they clearly do not need a road map
to press the issues to the right bodies on Capitol Hill and government
agencies.
Bristol-Myers has hired fteen lobbying rms with fty-seven
lobbyists, including Haley Barbour, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, and Thomas H. Boggs, Jr., a prominent
Democratic political gure.
The Drug Industrys Powerful Advocate
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
(PhRMA) is the major lobby group for the U.S. drug companies in
Washington, DC. It serves as an important adjunct to the activities of
the industrys lobbyists and the drug companies own public affairs
departments. Here are some of the federal government issues PhRMA
dealt with at the time of this writing:
r The Medicare Preservation and Improvement Act, the right direction for seniors and Medicare reform.
r Direct-to-Consumer Advertising.
r The Canadian Health Care System, no model for America.
r How Government and the Rx Industry Cooperate for Benet.
r Defending the Risk and Cost of the Drug Industrys Research and
Development Activities.
Log onto www.phrma.org for an understanding of how this important group functions in the public affairs arena.
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WHO SPENDS THE BIG BUCKS ON ELECTIONS
The year 2000 Presidential elections broke records for campaign

spending. Leading the charge was the nations drug makers. They
spent more than $80 million to defeat Democrats in Congress, who
they feared would pass the kind of Medicare prescription drug benet
they oppose.
But on other issues such as abortion rights, groups such as the
National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League and the
Planned Parenthood Action Fund kicked in a total of $20 million to
defeat candidates opposed to their issues.
Once the elections were over, the opposing groups lobbyists took
over their respective causes.
Presidential elections are by no means the only time special interests
spend heavily on causes and issues they favor. One group, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), representing about 100 companies in its $100 billion industry, has a
huge budget to advance its agenda, using lobbying, image advertising,
research, and education. The money is allocated to civic and government groups, public policy institutes, biomedical research, and disease
advocacy groups.
THE MEDIA INDUSTRY AND LOBBYING
The Center for Public Integrity monitors the lobbying activity of

media companies, dened as companies that derive half or more of
their revenues from broadcasting, cable operations, publishing, online
media and their content providers, and their trade associations. Congressional legislators from both parties share in the lobbying largesse
dealt out by the media.
Its signicant to learn what the media want from the legislators.
The Center for Public Integrity has compiled a list of the top
10 lobbyist issues pursued by the media from 1996 through 2000:
r Intellectual property.
r Violent programming restrictions.
r Satellite systems.
r Tax issues.
r Telecommunications.
r Political ads/campaign nance.
137
r Cable issues.
r Tobacco/alcohol advertising.
r Antitrust/ownership issues.
r Broadband/spectrum issues.
For further information on jobs in public affairs, log onto the
Public Affairs Councils Web site: www.pac.org. We also recommend
the Public Affairs Handbook, edited by Joseph S. Nagelschmidt,
published by AMACOM, a division of American Management
Association.
C H A P T E R 12
Public Interest,
Public Service
ommunity relations, corporate social responsibility, corporate

philanthropy, corporate image, cause-related and social marketing, image building, support for the arts, education, and
the environment, grass-roots volunteer campaigns, development/fund
raising, multicultural affairs, special events, disaster relief, association
nonprots: All these categories are the ribs of the public interest and
public service umbrella. Theyre considered components of public relations and are carried out by foundations, trusts, schools, Fortune
500 corporations, and individuals, and often involve the spending of
large sums of money and commitments of time. They also employ
large numbers of people.
To illustrate their function, we give practical examples of each
category.
COMMUNITY RELATIONS
Corporations and other business organizations engage in public interest, public service, and community relations programs for a variety
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PUBLIC INTEREST, PUBLIC SERVICE
139
of reasons. They nd that it is good business to put their best foot

forward to bring an image of quality, social consciousness, and responsibility to the attention of their various publics: stockholders,
competitors, employees, and customers.
AT&T, through its AT&T Foundation, spends hundreds of millions
of dollars on educational and philanthropic programs. But does the
homeowner choose AT&T Long Distance instead of another service
because of the companys good works? Does an investor buy AT&Ts
stock because of the companys exemplary public service? The answer
is an obvious no. Most consumers and investors dont even know
about the AT&T Foundation. Yet the company chooses to be one of
our foremost public citizens.
IBM is one of our largest corporations. Its program in this area is
called A Commitment to Corporate Citizenship and counts education as the top priority in its philanthropic efforts. IBMs program
paves the way for systematic reform in school systems nationwide
through partnerships with whole school districts and entire states.
Here are three of their specic programs.
IBM launched a TryScience Web site in collaboration with the
New York Hall of Science and the Association of Science-Technology
Centers, the rst worldwide science and technology center.
In 1999, IBM hosted the National Education Summit, where governors, CEOs and education leaders made a series of key commitments
to continue progress in standards-based reform.
IBM and the Singapore Ministry of Education formed a major partnership to leverage technology and enhance teaching and learning in
the countrys classrooms.
In New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, McDonalds conducts
an Arching Into Education Scholarship Program, which awards
$175,000 to tristate students through three scholarship opportunities.
And heres a commendable community relations initiative undertaken by ViaHealth Rochester General Hospital. Alarmed at seeing
so many head injuries in children as a result of bicycle accidents, a
group of concerned physicians at the hospital began distributing bike
helmets to a few of their patients during routine ofce visits. These
physicians and the hospitals medical staff felt strongly about becoming more heavily involved in preventing these head injuries and in
educating children and their parents about safe bicycling. The hospitals public relations team created what became an annual event,
Bicycle Helmet Safety Day. The hospital handed out over 2,000
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bicycle helmets to local children, and each helmet was custom tted
to each child.
A dozen local organizations supported the campaign, along
with the leadership effort of the public relations team, physicians,
volunteers, marketing staff, educational professionals, and community organizations. The evaluation: The number of children with
head injuries due to bike accidents entering the emergency department of the hospital declined steadily from 93 in 1996 to 18 in
1999.
PHILIP MORRIS AND CORPORATE IMAGE
The Philip Morris Companies make Kraft Foods, Miller Beer, and
Philip Morris cigarettes. Theyve been sued for billions by survivors
of cigarette smokers.
In the 1998 tobacco settlement, cigarette manufacturers agreed to
stop marketing to minors, but ads still run in magazines with signicant youth readership. Finally, cigarette manufacturers, including
Philip Morris, suspended some of their advertisingbut not
all.
Philip Morris has chosen to burnish its corporate image with support for the arts and corporate advertising that highlights these efforts.
An ad in The New Yorker, for example, promoted The Next Wave
Festival, a 2-month performance series in dance, music, and theater
at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. At the bottom of the ad, the line
read, Supported by the Philip Morris family of companies, and the
companies listed were Kraft Foods, Miller Brewing, and Philip Morris
U.S.A.
Another Philip Morris ad in The New York Times Magazine and
the October 2000 issue of Brills Content featured an exhibition at
the Brooklyn Museum of Art of the work of Lee Krasner, Jackson
Pollocks wife.
Still another Philip Morris magazine ad in these publications was
on behalf of the National Network to End Domestic Violence Fund
and Doors of Hope, the domestic violence shelter sponsored by the
company. At the bottom of this ad, before the Philip Morris list of
companies, was the line Working to make a difference.
We make no moral or value judgments here, but only give examples
of how one corporation uses corporate advertising.
141
CAUSE-RELATED AND SOCIAL MARKETING
Websters New World Dictionary of Media and Communications denes cause-related marketing as a promotional technique in which
a company is linked with a nonprot organization, a public service,
or another cause.
Avon is in the cosmetics business. It refers to itself as the company of women. This translates not only to marketing products to
women, but also to engaging in an active involvement in womens
health issues. In 1993, the company introduced the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade, which supports nonprot early detection programs for
women, particularly those who are medically underserved.
Avons major fundraising effort is the Avon Breast Cancer 3-day
event in which about 2,000 men and women walk nearly 60 miles
over 3 days. The commitment not only entails physical stress, but
also requires that each participant raise a minimum of $1,700.
In 1999, the event was held in ve major cities and generated net
proceeds of $20 million for Avons Breast Cancer Crusade.
Media coverage promoted by Avon and its PR counsel, Bragman
Nyman Cafarelli, was substantial in both print and broadcast. In addition, the PR rm implemented a grass-roots PR strategy and became
the virtual personal publicists for the participants. Questionnaires
were distributed to walkers on registration to learn their motivation
for participating. The most compelling stories were selected and featured in the press materials.
In terms of results, the message of early detection received widespread coverage, and large sums of money were committed to breast
cancer education and early detection programs.
In 1999s campaign, more than 500 TV stories were aired, including network programming like The Rosie ODonnell show, Good
Morning America, CNN, Dateline, and MSNBC. Hundreds of
print media also covered the event.
Results are carefully measured in evaluating a special event of this
nature beyond the goodwill factor. Avon and its PR counsel, BNC, reported that for the 1999 event, 330 million print and electronic impressions were garnered through preevent and postevent media coverage.
TARGETS TAKE CHARGE OF EDUCATION CAMPAIGN
Target (some call it Tar-zhay) has built a retailing empire on cheap

chic. Its known as an upscale discounter. The chain advertises
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in Vogue. You can even buy animal-skin cowboy hats at Target for
$14.99 that are very similar to the ones sold at Nordstroms for $28.
At this writing, there are 978 Target Stores in 46 states. So successful is the Target brand, the parent company changed its name from
Dayton Hudson Corporation to Target Corporation.
Target does many things well. The secret to its success in marketing
is the chains ability to renew its brand constantly with innovative and
unique marketing initiatives that echo the brands experience. One
such campaign is Take Charge of Education (TCOE), created and implemented with Minneapolis-based Martin/Williams, an advertising,
public relations, response marketing, and retail image management
agency.
Background
America is awash in credit cards. In the past 10 years, the number

of cards in use has expanded by 50% and card debt has doubled.
Target needed to promote guest card acquisition and usage in an
environment cluttered with competitors offering more and more card
enhancements.
Target and Martin/Williams differentiated Targets guest card by
effectively tying it into Targets ongoing commitment to education.
The program t their family guest prole perfectly, and addressed
one of this audiences most pressing concerns, the support and health
of their local schools.
Strategy
When customers use their Target TCOE credit cards for purchases,
1% of their total goes to the specic school of their choice. The ability
to target support to an individual school is an important key to
success and really anchors this program locally to the community.
To communicate this message, Target and Martin/Williams created
a fully integrated campaign including broadcast, print, in-store signage and merchandising, direct mail and promotion, web support,
and a comprehensive in-school program.
Results
In the rst 9 months, the program exceeded its annual goal by 36%.
After 3 years, there were over 3 million TCOE cards in use, roughly
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25% of Targets total charge cards. Additionally, TCOE cardholders

visit twice as often as other Target guests and their average purchase is
three times greater. Finally, out of approximately 110,000 schools in
the country, 93,000 are enrolled in the TCOE sponsorship program,
a tremendous local anchor for the Target brand.
The campaign has been awarded a gold Efe, a gold AME
(Advertising/Marketing Effectiveness), and the Heinemann Award at
the Retail Advertising Conference.
Take Charge of Education is a consummate example of causerelated marketing with a big payoff.
SOCIAL MARKETING
In chapter 4, we discussed Porter Novelli and its innovative social

marketing program. This agency has successfully harnessed the many
disciplines of marketing to promote social change on behalf of the
worlds largest and most highly regarded NGOs (nongovernmental
organizations), corporations, professional bodies, and government
agencies.
Porter Novelli bases its social marketing program on four key
elements:
r Audience research.
r Strategic planning.
r Powerful integrated marketing communication programs.
r Continuous audience feedback, which is then used to rene
programs.
With the compounding of the worlds social problems, we can expect the discipline of social marketing to increase enormously in the
early part of the 21st century.
THE RELATIONSHIP OF PUBLIC

RELATIONS AND FUND RAISING
First, here are some denitions from Kathleen S. Kellys academic text
Effective Fund-Raising Management.
Fund raisers are paid specialists and volunteers who assist in the
process of obtaining gifts. They are skilled communicators, trained
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to manage relationships with strategic publics and add compensated

value to the organizations they serve.
Kelly denes fund raising as a subfunction of nonprot public relations, similar to investor relations in the business sector. She calls
public relations an academic home for fund raising. Others believe
that fund raising is a specialization of public relations.
In a 1988 study, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
incorporated the subhead Fund Raising as the seventh element
and function of the public relations practice, along with media, employee, community, government, consumer, and investor relations.
Says Kelly, The public relations function has developed many specializations to manage organizational relationships with important
stakeholders.
How big is philanthropy in America? Almost $200 billion is contributed to charity each year, and giving is no longer dominated by the
society matron writing checks to a well-heeled foundation. Todays
new philanthropist is as likely to be a thirty-something Internet millionaire setting up his or her own foundation or retiring early to help
build schools in Chile.
In 1997, software magnate Paul Brainerd set up a foundation that
is a model of venture philanthropy and offers a new businesslike
approach to giving. Each of the foundations 193 partners pledges at
least $5,000 a year and is expected to volunteer with one of the donor
organizations receiving the grants.
Where People Work in the Nonprot Sector
and How Much They Make
A special insert on the subject Giving in The New York Times for
November 20, 2000, discussed the wide range of nonprots and the
jobs within that periphery. First, here are some general numbers. In
1996, there were 1.14 million nonprot organizations in the United
States, big and small, and more than 100,000 professional fund raisers. Colleges, cultural, and other organizations use the word development or resources development euphemistically for fund raising.
For example, the University of Michigans web site, www.umich.
edu, offers an insight into the development niche. The school was
the rst public university to raise more than $1 billion in a campaign
(19921997: $1.4 billion). The job offering sought development people to work on a forthcoming fund-raising campaign that was to be
the largest in its history.
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One job for Development Ofcer I (entry level) had these duties
and responsibilities:
r Assist in developing solicitation methods and marketing development programs.
r Assist with gift solicitation and program planning.
r Assist in organizing and training volunteers.
r Provide consultation to university units, alumni, and student groups
regarding fund-raising activities.
For this lowest level development ofcer job, the candidate needed a
bachelors degree and some experience in marketing, public relations,
communications, or a related eld.
The job offer for the top-rung spot of Development Ofcer III listed
duties and responsibilities that are more managerial, and included
recruiting and training volunteers, preparing reports on fund-raising
activities, and developing solication methods.
The qualications for this higher level job included experience in
marketing, advertising, public relations, communications, or a related
eld, and some experience in public speaking and promotional writing
was necessary.
If you work for a publicly traded company, there is no question
that youll make more money than at a nonprot company. A public
relations executive at a nonprot makes about $41,000 a year, while
the same job at a public company pays $118,000.
And the director of government relations at a nonprot makes
about $70,000 a year, but his or her comparable person at a public
company earns about $137,000.
Why work for less? Many have made the move because of the
challenge and the fulllment of the nonprot world. One top executive, Lawrence M. Small, was making a multi-million-dollar salary at
Fannie Mae, the home lending organization. At 59, well before retirement age, he moved to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington,
D.C., as Executive Secretary for only $330,000.
Multicultural Affairs
Billionaire Bill Gates of Microsoft has spent millions in battling federal

antitrust charges. In January 2001, Microsoft faced new challenges
on the management policies of the company toward seven African
American employees. These employees led race discrimination suits,
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charging that they were not evaluated fairly, promoted, or as highly

paid as White employees. Therefore, they claimed that Microsoft is
in violation of federal civil rights law.
Microsofts spokeswoman made the requisite public relations response when she announced that the company had welcomed more
African Americans in recent years and has donated more than $100
million to fostering interest in technology among young women and
minorities. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has assets exceeding $17 billion, making it the nations largest foundation.
But not everyone can do it like Bill Gates. At the age of 41, Tony
Paquin sold his $10-million computer consulting company and didnt
buy a 60-foot sailboat to explore the South Pacic. Instead, he spent
more than $100,000 of his own money and 16 months to run for
Congress in Idaho. He lost the election, but found a new outlet for
his energies. Paquin and his brother Gary started Netivation.com, an
Internet-based company serving political campaigns. With the money
he makes, Tony Paquin plans to start a foundation for children.
What conclusions can we draw from the examples of the publicinterest and public-service programs we have discussed? Certainly
these companies and hundreds of others participate in them because
they regard doing so as good business. Perhaps they even regard this
positive image building as a balance against criticism about a corporations environmental policy or some future negative occurrence such
as a strike or an accident. And of course many of these public-interest
and public-service programs are tax deductible.
As a career source, public service and public interest are among the
most rewarding areas in the whole eld of public relations. They may
be less stressful than media relations and crisis management. They
may pay less, but they pose a challenging career choice that can be
pursued at many levelscorporate, not-for-prot, or governmental.
The Good News About Working for the Nonprots
In an article in the August issue of PRSAs TACTICS, a commentary

by Kathleen S. Kelly, The Top Five Myths Regarding Nonprots,
explodes many of the conceptions about this sector:
Myth 1Nonprots Cannot Make a Prot. Yes, nonprots can
make a prot, but they cant distribute them to those who control
the organization. Most nonprots have huge endowments. A study
estimated that about 22,000 nonprots have $600 billion in retained
earnings.
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Myth 2Nonprots Are Small in Number and Size. Half of the

1.4 million nonprots are charitable. From 20,000 to 30,000 new
nonprots are started each year. Nonprots employ about 11 million
people, or 7% of the U.S. workforce.
Myth 3Nonprots Deal With Charity. The National Football
League and the PGA (in golf) are neither government, business, nor
charity, yet they fall into the nonprot sector because they dont distribute their prots.
Myth 4Gifts Account for Most Nonprot Revenue. Gifts are not
the primary source of income for nonprots in general. Dues and fees
make up most of the groups revenues.
Myth 5Most Gifts Come From Corporations and Foundations.
Wrong again. Of the roughly $190 billion contributed to charitable
organizations in 1999, individuals gave 84%.
Kelly concluded: The nonprot sector represents a rich and unexplored territory for most practitioners. Its scope and diversity deserve
attentionand accurate understanding.
Note that Kathleen Kelly, PhD, APR, Fellow PRSA, is professor
of communication and PR at the University of Louisiana. She is also
the author of the nonprot elds rst text, Effective Fund-Raising
Management, mentioned earlier in this chapter.
C H A P T E R 13
Strategic and
Integrated Public
Relations and Brand
Marketing
n the broad areas of public relations and marketing covered in this

chapter, lets deal rst with the subject of strategic public relations
as it is practiced by a corporate or other organization.
Applying strategic management to public relations involves six
steps, according to Paul Forbes, a veteran counselor to senior corporate management.1
r Scanning the future.
r Building scenarios for this contingency planning.
r Reviewing the mission of the organization on an ongoing basis.
r Setting objectives, strategies, and policies as to where the organization wants to go and how to get there.
r Implementing this strategy.
r Evaluating and updating the plan annually.
Forbes sums up strategic planning as what you do now to bring
about a future result.
To be strategic, public relations must pass one basic test: At a minimum, everything done must be aligned with the corporation or other
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STRATEGIC AND INTEGRATED PR
149
organizations vision or missionits reason for beingand must contribute to achieving its strategic objectives.
Strategic marketing refers to the practice of selling a service, a product, or a group of products to a specic market or audience. Integrated
marketing combines advertising, public relations, and other activities
in a coordinated strategy using messages and media. Often they are
coordinated through a single planning system.
We offer here a few Silver Anvil and Cipra award-winning campaigns in the practice area of strategic and integrated public relations
and marketing.
SURVIVING THE STORM: A CRISIS IN CREDIBILITY

Publishers Clearing House with Rogers & Cowan (New York)
I spent about 35 years as a magazine publisher. Because most of my

magazines depended on subscriptions as well as newsstand sales, I had
numerous dealings with Publishers Clearing House (PCH), the worlds
largest multimagazine subscription service. PCH awards prizes to recipients of its mailings in order to solicit subscriptions.
All went well until the mid 1990s, when PCH was caught in a web
of bad publicity due to a competing subscription service defaulting on
its promise of prizes. This was purely a case of guilt by association,
because PCH legitimately awarded the prizes it promised. In a June 14,
1999, article in The New York Times, media reporter Alex Kuczynski
wrote, Indeed, magazines are scrambling to ee American Family
Publishers and Publishers Clearing House faster than Ed McMahon
can say, Youre a winner.
With magazine subscriptions from this source down dramatically
due to the negative publicity, and PCHs sales in a free-fall, the company called in a highly respected PR agency, Rogers & Cowan. The
resulting campaign, Surviving the Storm: A Crisis in Credibility,
won a Silver Anvil Award 2000 in the category of marketing consumer sources. Here are details of the Rogers & Cowan campaign.
Research and Planning. National opinion polling revealed the ongoing portrayal that all sweepstakes were frauds and never awarded
the prizes they promised. To persuade consumers to reenter the contests, the customers would have to see rsthand that someone in their
town had won a prize. This was accomplished by the rewarding of
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many surprise awards delivered by PCHs Prize Patrol. The theme of

the new plan was that PCHs contests were open and honest.
The media plan also called for focusing on developing a highly
visual, TV-friendly, and emotional platform favorable to PCH. The
target audience/target media was dened as women 2554 and heavier than average viewers of TV news. The inuential target outlets
were isolated as local TV news and national entertainment media.
Rogers & Cowan concluded that these groups would respond best to
immediate news about PCH, not dwelling on the past negative news.
The budget for the campaign was set at $500,000, inclusive of all
program costs.
Objective. First, arrest the response in free-fall, halt the customer
loss, impact the companys critically important June mailing, and
nally convey the message that PCH awards its prizes.
Strategy. (1) Address consumer despair by dispelling misconceptions identied by research. (2) Gain third-party endorsement for the
fact that people really do win. (3) Utilize emotion to gain media coverage when people learned they had won a cash windfall delivered by
PCHs Prize Patrol.
Concept. PCH would give the media complete access to the giving
of a happy surprise to winners by the Prize Patrol. In total, 100 prize
deliveries in the top 100 media markets would occur in just the 3 days
before the strategic mailing arrived.
Preparation and Execution. To accomplish this Promethean task,
66 PCH employees were trained to perform as the Prize Patrol and
as media spokespeople. The Prize Patrol Boot Camp resulted in a
major segment on Entertainment Tonight. Susan Lucci, the soap
star who had just won a Emmy after losing for 19 consecutive years,
was enlisted to deliver the rst surprise award. The segment broke on
Access Hollywood and Extra. Additionally, an ABC satellite feed
was carried by local newscasts in 34 top markets. The Prize Patrol
segment also broke on Inside Edition and CBSs Late Show With
David Letterman.
Evaluation. Despite breath-taking logistics and just 40 days to prepare, the program met its challenging objectives:
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r It arrested the response in free-fall.

r It had a positive impact on the June PCH mailing nearly three times
greater than its competition.
r With six waves of coverage from the national media in less than
2 weeks, the program successfully conveyed to a large audience
that people really do win. Many media outlets endorsed the PCH
sweepstakes, saying that it pays to send back entries.
GET ON BOARD: STEERING A NEW COURSE

FOR THE BEEF INDUSTRY
The National Cat tlemens Beef Association (NCBA)
with Ketchum Public Relations
Since 1980, the beef industry has been down. Falling demand, falling
volume, falling prices. In 1998, the NCBA began noticing a signicant
and alarming shift toward chicken usage in restaurants. Beef was at
at 7.1 billion servings while chicken was up 6% to nearly 4.7 billion
servings. The dominant player, the beef industry, needed to counter
the increase in chicken servings with an increase of its own or continue
to lose market share.
Research. Ketchum and the NCBA learned that although beef was
the more frequently ordered item, chicken represented an almost equal
share of the menu because, on average, it is used as an ingredient in
ve times, where beef is used only four.
an entree
In 1999, Ketchum and the NCBA developed an entirely new strategic direction for beef, based on new, value-added easy beef products
to change foodservice perceptions. The campaign earned Ketchum
and the NCBA a Silver Anvil 2000 Award in the category of Integrated Communications.
Planning. The program objective was to generate awareness, build
demand for beef in the food-service channel, and stimulate trial for
value-added (e.g., precooked, preseasoned) beef products.
Strategy.
r Create excitement for beef via major events to premiere the
new beef industry.
r Demonstrate beefs versatility and convenience.
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r Leverage hot comfort food trends like pot roast, sandwiches, and
ethnic avors to remind operators of the popularity of beef.
Target Audience. The campaign was directed to the top 200 chain
restaurants, high-volume independent restaurants, and the top 25 institutional management companies, such as schools and employee
cafeterias.
Budget. The budget broke down as $1,280,000 ($615,000 agency
fees, $290,000 out-of-pocket, $375,000 trade media advertising).
Execution. Heres Ketchum Public Relations/San Franciscos campaign for the beef industrys new strategic direction.
Multiple-page ads were placed in Nations Restaurant News featuring restaurant industry leaders promoting new easy beef products
to the food-service industry. Other ads featured hot menu concepts
like precooked beef strips and preseasoned, precooked prime rib.
Advertorials in food-service publications stressed the convenience
aspect and reported compelling research on labor issues and consumer
demand for these new beef products.
Restaurant operators were given more than 75 innovative convenient beef recipes for the menu trend, and recipe cards were produced to fulll requests generated by the ad campaign and trade show
promotion.
Thirty-two executive research and development chefs from the top
chain restaurants met for a 2-day culinary program sponsored by the
NCBA.
Evaluation. One year after the program began, beef had increased
by 100 million servings, and items like steak sandwiches rose 17%.
Some chains agreed to test fully cooked beef entrees.
Seminars were held for chefs from national and regional restaurant
chains. Follow-up surveys indicated that 75% had a greater understanding of value-added beef products and would consider them for
future use in their operations.
LAUNCHING AN E-BANK
WingspanBank.com with Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
In 199l, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide was given a challenging

assignment in the area of Brand Development: marketing an online
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bank for a primarily female audience, and doing it with a limited

budget of $150,000.
Situation Analysis. WingspanBank.com received a generous amount of media attention when it was launched in 1999. Ogilvys job
was to build up appeal to women while not excluding men and to
show consumers the benets of banking online.
Objectives.
r Increase awareness of women as the household nancial ofcer.
r Position Wingspan as a bank that understands women.
r Differentiate Wingspan from the competition.
r Drive trafc to the Web site.
r Improve the ow of information to media via a dedicated press
Web site.
r Develop initiatives to include original research, third-party endorsements, and a media event.
Audience. Target the audience for the campaign as women and
their role in managing and controlling family nances.
Research. Use Wingspans own ndings. For example, 70% of
women pay the familys monthly bills and their use of nancial service
Web sites is growing.
Planning. With only a 3-week turnaround time, the dedicated press
Web site had to be structured, a job that included creating links, catchy
splash pages, and essential visuals.
For consumer media relations, the team researched an appropriate third-party spokesperson, developed the WingspanBank Financial
Index, organized a press event to announce the ndings, created an
e-teaser to build excitement for the Female Finance Factor, and
wrote numerous press releases.
Strategy.
r Stress the woman as family nancial manager.
r Sell Wingspan as a bank that knows women.
r Position Wingspan as the leader in personal nancial management.
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Execution/Tactics. Ogilvy conducted qualitative research to bolster

the premise of women as nancial controller in the home. The ndings
were branded as the WingspanBank Financial Index, and the trend
was called the Female Finance Factor.
Ogilvy engaged nancial expert and author Dr. Judith Briles as the
voice of Wingspan.
Reporters were invited to a Consumer Breakfast Event at the
St. Regis Hotel in New York, where computer terminals were set
up enabling journalists to check out the Wingspan Web site, as well
as the press site.
Dr. Briles was featured on an audio news release that promoted the
WingspanBank Financial Index.
Measurement of Success.
r The campaign met many objectives, primarily that of increasing
awareness of women in control of household nances.
r The media coverage was extensive with 544 placements, 3.4
million broadcast impressions, and 20.2 million print impressions.
A broadcast impression is based on the total audience of the
radio and TV shows that carried the Wingspan coverage. A print
impression is the total readership of print publications covering
WingspanBank.com. For the rst time, Wingspan was covered in
such high-prole womens and parenting publications as Readers
Digest, Family Circle, Womans Day, and USA TODAY.
r Wingspan.com was very clearly aligned with female consumers.
r The Wingspan Web site had a daily increase from the campaign
beginning of 33%.
r The ow of information to the media via the dedicated press Web
site was improved.
EDDIE BAUER MAKES THE E-COMMERCE TREK

Eddie Bauer with Edelman Public Relations Worldwide
Eddie Bauer is a respected name in upscale apparel with a special

appeal to outdoor sports people. In 1999, Edelman Public Relations
Worldwide was given the assignment to position Eddie Bauer as the
leading e-commerce retail site. Heres how the agency handled this
strategic marketing assignment.
155
Challenges.
r Broaden excitement and relevance around the Eddie Bauer brand;
focus on brand interest and relevance for male consumers.
r Support and build on Eddie Bauer travel-related marketing
initiatives.
r Position Eddie Bauer as the leading e-commerce retail site.
r Reclaim Eddie Bauers Northwest American Heritage.
Strategies.
r Virtual Editor Showroom: Establish Eddie Bauer as the industry
forerunner by implementing an online showroom. Fall 2000 viewing is easy with click and pick showroom.
r Editor Edventure Press Trip: Invite six to eight key editors to
experience A Day in the Life of Eddie Bauer, such as hiking,
kayaking, whale watching, and tour of the Eddie Bauer campus
archives.
r Holiday: North by Northwest Fashion Preview: Promote Holiday 2000 collection to key media. Position collection in a venue
that inspires the transient feeling of Heading Home For The
Holidays.
r National Geographic/Eddie Bauer Lewis & Clark Journey: Promote EB/NG partnership by recreating a modern-day Lewis &
Clark cross-country journey.
r Eddie BauerRiverkeeper Challenge: Eddie Bauer teams with Riverkeeper, an environmental group, to promote appreciation for the
sport of kayaking and preservation of Americas waterways. Also,
leverage Eddie Bauers sponsorship with US Canoe and Kayak to
create media buzz and consumer awareness.
r Ongoing News Bureau Placements: Use New York contacts and inhouse product closet to ensure ongoing, yearround consumer and
trade placement.
Results. The objective in this marketing assignment was to take
advantage of the brand name and its Pacic Northwest orientation.
The Edventure Press Trip puts editors in the Eddie Bauer environment
so they are better able to write about it.
Tying in National Geographic, Eddie Bauer, and the Lewis & Clark
journey is great marketing by association.
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WHEN MARKETING BACKFIRES
Burger King is big, McDonalds is bigger, and although the number 2

chain wins the taste tests for its burgers, the Golden Arches make the
top fries.
In 1998, Burger King embarked on a campaign to topple McDonalds from its perch by formulating a new fry. It would be a potato
stick coated with a layer of starch designed to help retain heat and
add crunch.
An article in The Wall Street Journal in January 2001 told how
Burger King spent $70 million and 3 years to win the french fry war
and lost.
When Burger King rst launched its new, improved product,
childrens meal toys in the likeness of Mr. Potato Head, who would
be the frys ofcial spokespud, were ordered. January 2, 1998,
was designated Free Fryday with 15 million servings handed out
nationwide.
At rst, Burger King franchisees were elated over the new frys
prospects, particularly since the products prot margin was as high
as 80 cents on the dollar. Statistically, Americans consumption of fries
per capita is 26 pounds a year, or a half pound a week.
But soon after the new fry was introduced, a super-glitch developed.
One franchisee said the taste was terrible and the fry snapped like a
potato chip. People actually began avoiding the chains stores because
of its french fries.
Says Jennifer Ordonez, who wrote The Wall Street Journal
article, In the annals of consumer product ops, this one has quietly
amounted to a whopper.
Back at Burger King headquarters, the opped fry asco extended
to the potato suppliers, who had been sent a 19-page set of specs on
how the fry should be prepared.
At the root of the problem was taste. Said company spokesman
Rob Doughty, They were soggy, they would get cold easily, they
were lumpy, they werent competitive, while market research simply
showed that people only wanted a fry that was crispy and would
remain hot.
Now comes an element in this saga that would have made a great
piece in the National Lampoon had I still been publishing the magazine. To guarantee the adequate crunch factor, Burger Kings 19-page
tome on the new frys specications required that for each mouthful
of french fry, the degree of crispiness was to be determined by an
audible crunch that should be present for seven or more chews . . . loud
157
enough to be apparent to the evaluator. Would it be taken off the

market if the customer had false teeth that didnt result in the required
number of chews?
In an example of how big-time marketing works, Burger King assembled a team of 100 marketing executives, food scientists, franchisees, and others to look into a coated fry that, when dipped in
a batter of potato starch, retains heat longer and will be warm and
crunchy even when eaten at home.
Extensive testing followed until the company was nally satised
with the taste and texture of its fries. Burger King even booked expensive TV commercials during the 1998 Super Bowl and launched
other big-budget promotions.
But by summer 2000, Burger King still had lost the quality contest
to McDonalds. Sales of the fries dropped, and complaints by Burger
King franchisees mounted. So it was back to the product development
people for a new improved fry that would be in restaurants by spring
2001.
OTHER EXAMPLES OF STRATEGIC MARKETING CAMPAIGNS
We have seen how strategic marketing and communications can be

practiced in three different situations. Here are capsules of other campaigns that further illustrate the practice:
For client Hallmark, Fleishman-Hillard initiated a marketing
campaign for a new line of 99-cent greeting cards called Warm
Wishes.
Ketchum Public Relations and its client Mine Safety Appliances
(MSA) introduced MSA Safety Works, a consumer product line featuring protective eyewear, dust masks and respirators, hearing protection, and hard hats.
In an advertising and public relations campaign, J. Walter Thompson positioned diamonds as the ultimate symbol and gift for the
millenium.
BSMG Worldwide Services reached the hot teenage market with its
Milk Mustache, Cat Boots, and Youth Smoking Prevention programs.
Positioning yo-yo use as a real sport, HPK Marketing and Medialink promoted the Bandai 1999 World Yo-Yo Championships.
Cone, Inc., created ConAgras Feeding Children Better, a national initiative dedicated to ending childhood hunger, for its client,
ConAgra, the worlds largest food manufacturer.
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Polaroid contemporized its brand with the Porter Novelli strategic

marketing plan for the Polaroid I-Zone Instant Pocket Camera, a
cell-phone-sized camera that takes instant miniature photo stickers.
To combat the overwhelming intrusions of cell phones, manufacturer Nokia and the city of San Diego called on Ketchum to create
Cell Phone Courtesy Week, raising the consciousness of the problem,
as well as the image of the sponsors.
In these examples we see the wide variety of situations in the practice of strategic marketing and communications. The procedure in
these programs is typically an identication or overview of the issue
or problem, a situation analysis and objective, research, planning,
execution, and evaluation of the result.
CORPORATE PUBLIC RELATIONS, CORPORATE REPUTATION,

CORPORATE ADVERTISING, AND BRANDING
Marken on Corporate Image
An article in the spring 1990 issue of Public Relations Quarterly

by industry veteran G. A. Andy Marken was headed Corporate
ImageWe All Have One, But Few Work to Protect and Project It.
Marken quoted an Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) study that
nds that people do business with a given rm or buy its products
for more than the quality of the goods or services. The collected
knowledge of customers, stockholders, bankers, brokerage houses,
dealers, distributors, and the media regarding a company can affect
its sales, earnings, valuation, ability to obtain loans, and ability to
attract quality employees.
Influences on Image
Advertising and publicity are only two aspects of a rms image.

Everything a company is, says, and does, according to Marken, is
a component of its image. What are these elements?
r Product: Consistent high quality from companies like HewlettPackard, Compaq, IBM and others has positioned these companies
above their competition.
r Service: IBM may not always have the most advanced products, but
no one questions the level of service it provides.
159
r Finance: Even well-known, reputable companies have periodic setbacks in sales, but their overall nancial strength can override
long-term fears about their future health.
r Employees: Happy, productive employees are a powerful market
inuence. The attitudes of a rms employees often inuence the
way it is perceived by clients, trade partners, and competitors.
Launching an Image
Marken suggested these steps in launching a corporate image communications program.

1. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the companys current
image.
2. Dene the image that the rm wants to project.
3. Determine a course of action that appeals to the largest possible
number of your target audience.
4. Coordinate every channel of communications to build the desired
image.
Launching an effective image development and/or reinforcement

campaign means dening your target publics. Who are they? We listed
them in an earlier chapter, but add a few here: employees, communities, suppliers, and, of course, the media.
Marken summed up:
A sound corporate image is no substitute for fair dealings and quality
products. However, rst impressions have a lasting effect. A companys
ability to communicate a favorable and progressive image to its many
publics places it ahead of its competition and, subsequently, has a
profound effect on the bottom line.
Corporate Advertising
IBM is a long-time advertiser in The Wall Street Journal, but never

has it committed more dollars than for its 1-day, 32-page insertion on
December 13, 1999. Editor & Publisher called it possibly the biggest
newspaper ad ever.
The thrust of the ad section was to e-business owners and executives. IBM was stressing its capability as The Biggest Dot.Com of
Them All.
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One typical full-page ad in the spread was headed e-chiaroscuro.

It bore a full-page photograph of a room in Russias Hermitage
Museum showing a woman and a child examining a classic work
of Renaissance art. The copy went on to say that Russias historic
museum uses IBM Digital Library software, high-resolution imaging,
and IBM UNIX servers to put 2,000 pieces of art online.
Editor & Publisher estimated the price of the insertion as nearly
$2.8 million and noted that each copy of that days WSJ weighed
1.84 pounds.
Now, why did IBM feel it necessary to spend all that money to
reach 2 or 3 million movers and shakers? Surely it wasnt to generate
a urry of orders for its UNIX servers to museums. The ad had more
intrinsic purposes. It reinforced IBMs brand and image as a world
business machine powerhouse, a province of corporate branding and
reputation.
In todays marketplace the corporate brand name, be it IBM or
Philip Morris, is accepted as a valuable asset. Maintaining the primacy
of a corporate brand takes research, segmentation, analysis, identity
development, strategic planning, brand expression (targeting, messaging, program execution), and measurement/program renement.
Weve given one example of how the giant IBM spent a huge sum
of money on a single multiple-page ad insertion that would equal
the yearly budget of many advertisers. Few organizations have the
reputation of Big Blue. Others need to build a brand from scratch or
repair a tarnished one.
At Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwides corporate practice, brand
and corporate reputation issues are addressed according to a
plan:
r Brand Strategy strategically repositions a company to regain competitive advantage.
r Workplace Performance analyzes employees behavior so that it
aligns with the strategic direction of a company.
r Media Works favorably positions a company and its management
in the national business media.
r Financial Relations deals with a fair evaluation of a companys
stock.
r Brand Shield helps a company to properly manage a crisis that can
severely harm its reputation.
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r Cause-related Marketing monitors a companys philanthropic activities to develop a better return on investment. The total check-up
is called Brand Works.
Corporate Advertising That Delivers Reputation Results
An ad for United Airlines in The Wall Street Journal shows a

9 10-inch photo of an airports baggage carousel, but instead of
luggage, the chute is delivering musical instruments. The headline
reads, Proud Sponsor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the text
says, United Airlines is happy to help the L.A. Philharmonic and
Hollywood Bowl continue enriching the Los Angeles community.
After all, its not just ying we want to make more enjoyable Its
life UNITED AIRLINES.
The ad is so effective as a corporate image, it will at least compensate for the next two times you wait for three-quarters of an hour for
your luggage at a United terminal.
DuPont has a series of corporate image ads called To Do List
for the Planet. A recent color ad in the November/December 2000
issue of the Columbia Journalism Review was headed Develop
Medicines That Fight HIV. The bottom of the ad bears the DuPont
logo and the tag line, The miracles of science, with an 800 number to call for information and with a Web address. This ad is perfect as a combination of good corporate public service and corporate
reputation.
I noted a 6 9-inch ad in the November 12, 2000, New York
Times for Target. But instead of selling its wares, the ad had a color
background of Snoopy, the dog in the Peanuts comic strip, and
the copy superimposed, The Childrens Museum of Manhattan will
be temporarily relaxing its No Dogs Allowed policy.
The bottom of the ad read, Target is proud to sponsor free admission every Friday in November to Good Grief!, an exhibition at the
Childrens Museum of Manhattan that helps kids resolve
conicts.
All three ads bolster reputation by associating the corporation with
culture and good works. Typically, the ads appear in inuential and
think publications to reach the desired audience.
Fortune produces the Fortune Most Admired Companies and
Fortune/Roper Corporate Reputation Index databases, which track
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more than 400 of the Fortune 500 companies on eight attributes

driving reputation. These databases provide a look at how business
inuentials, nancial analysts, the general public, and individual
investors regard Americas most admired corporations. Firms like
Burson-Marsteller, which conducts an active Corporate Reputation
practice, own these indices. This rms comments on creating a sense
of mission are: With companies in a constant state of ux, managing
change is a necessity. One key is communicating clearly on corporate
mission and values, and making sure that communications has measurable goals.
C H A P T E R 14
Financial Public
Relations and
Investor Relations
hat happens when, at the last minute, General Electric, the

nations largest conglomerate, upsets United Technologies,
another giant corporation, in Uniteds bid to buy the notso-small Honeywell International? How is the press informed of the
details amid the secrecy of the intense rounds of deal making that culminates in G.E.s acquisition of Honeywell? Heres part of the play-byplay.
Honeywell, a company with 120,000 employees and annual sales
of $24 billion, was in the nal stages of merger talks with United Technologies in October 2000 when G.E. topped Uniteds bid and agreed
to acquire Honeywell for $45 billion. G.E. has 340,000 employees
and annual sales exceeding $110 billion.
The merger was nalized on Sunday, October 22, and therefore
presented great deadline pressures for G.E.s investor relations team,
as well as for the media. The page one headline of The New York
Times on Sunday, October 23, read:
General Electric Buying Honeywell In $45 Billion Deal
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Then on page 22 of the same issue, The New York Times goofed
when its headline read:
G.E. Is Acquiring Honeywell for $45 Million in Stock
The implications of a merger like this one are enormous. How

would the merger affect the stock of both companies? How many
of Honeywells 120,000 employees would lose their jobs? Would
Honeywells CEO continue to run the newly merged division of G.E.?
Would the deal affect G.E. Chairman Jack Welchs decision to retire
in early 2001? What about G.E.s 340,000 employees?
Once the deal was signed by the boards of G.E. and Honeywell
on Sunday afternoon, October 22, G.E.s and Honeywells investor
relations and nancial communications people took over. They were
charged with the responsibility of announcing the deal to the print
and broadcast press and to the companies nancial publics, which
included:
r The nancial press.
r Present G.E. and Honeywell stockholders.
r Stock exchange member rms, customers brokers, branch ofce
managers.
r Mutual fund owners.
r Investment counselors and advisory services.
r The investing public.
r Security analysts.
r Investment bankers.
r Commercial bankers.
r Trustees of estates.
Although G.E. and Honeywell could not reach all these publics
directly, they could reach the most important ones. For example, their
hundreds of thousands of present stockholders were informed of the
deal in the next quarterly report.
A merger like this one is important nancial news. It doesnt mean
that the stockholder will immediately decide to buy more stock, but
it does show that the company is growing on a sound basisthat is,
paying a fair price for increased future prots.
Perhaps the most important publics in a merger are the security
analysts for brokerage rms, banks, and mutual funds that hold stock
FINANCIAL PR AND INVESTOR RELATIONS
165
in these companies for their clients and make investment decisions

based on the prot potential of the merged companies.
When one speaks of the nancial press as a public these days, the
reference is no longer only The Wall Street Journal, Barrons, and a
handful of other print and broadcast sources. Financial information
today travels at an instant rate of speed. When the Bloomberg Financial Markets, Internet Wire, or TheStreet.com sends out the G.E.
Honeywell story on the Internet, online users worldwide receive the
information when it happens.
The daunting task of communicating with the press and the other
publics on nancial situations like the G.E./Honeywell merger is the
responsibility of investor relations (IR) personnel at the companies,
with support from their PR counsel rms.
All this merger activity was for naught. The deal was killed in
summer 2001 by the European Union charging that the merger
would cause unfair competition to other aircraft and aerospace
manufacturers.
THE CHANGING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INVESTOR

RELATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
According to an article in the September 1998 issue of Inside PR, until

the late 1980s many major companies didnt have an IR function. If
there was an individual responsible for nancial communications, he
or she was typically a midlevel manager within the public relations
department.
IR is a spring trap that can ensnare even the wiliest corporate
participants. We give as examples the Lucent and Mattel debacles of
the year 2000, with the concomitant severe drop in their stock prices
and the negative publicity that ensued. The issue of getting the ink in
the investor relations area is particularly vital because it often affects
the rise and fall of a companys fortunes.
At this writing, almost every company has not only an IR director,
but an IR department. And often the IR department reports not to the
senior public relations executive, but to the companys chief nancial
ofcer (CFO).
In terms of compensation, the senior IR person is better paid than
his or her counterpart in PR and has better access to the CEO and
other members of the management team.
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According to the Inside PR article, most public relations executives

make the case that IR should be one of their responsibilities because
it falls within their role as managing the relationship between the
company and all its publics.
The National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) has 3,800 members who represent 2,200 companies. Forty-one percent of its
members have corporate communications or public relations backgrounds, and 45% come out of a nancial background.
At times, says Inside PR, professionals move from PR to IR. Larry
Bishop began his career in PR, moved into IR, and became responsible
for both functions at the Boeing Company. He feels that his ascent
from the senior IR position to his new role may be illustrative of a new
trend. When CEOs are looking for someone to whom they can trust
a centralized communication function, they are increasingly choosing
IR people over their PR counterparts.
An ideal background in todays corporate climate would be someone who studies public relations in college, earns an MBA, and
develops writing skills.
Requisites for a Career in Investor Relations
In his book Experts in Action: Inside Public Relations, Bill Cantor

detailed the duties of the nancial public relations executive.1 We
offer some of them here:
r A clear understanding of the guidelines for publicity in the Securities
and Exchange Acts of 1933 and 1934, as well as the disclosure
requirements of the national stock exchanges and court cases
relating to these laws.
r The ability to analyze and evaluate nancial statements.
r Very detailed knowledge of the business activities of a company or
client.
The scope of responsibilities and functions of nancial public relations includes the following.
Liaison With Executive Management.
r Board of directors, primarily through the board chairman.
r Executive and nance committee.
167
r Key ofcials and department heads.

r Directors of public relations, industrial relations, and employee
relations.
Financial Publicity.
r Uncovering and developing news of interest to stockholders.
r Contacting and cultivating friendships with nancial editors at
media sources.
r Directing the preparation of nancial press releases, annual and
interim reports, nancing, and mergers.
r Interviewing media nancial reporters to determine their needs.
r Supplying requested information to investment services, brokerage
houses, investment banking rms, and others.
Stockholder Correspondence. Handling inquiries, complaints, explaining nancing, form letters covering exchanges, and so on.
Conducting Stockholder Surveys. Preparation of corporation annual report and quarterly earnings statements.
Preparation of Other Stockholder Publications.
r Quarterly earnings statements.
r Folders interpreting company policies.
r Dividend stuffers and inserts.
r Reprints of speeches and articles by company ofcials.
r Preparing biographical digests of executive ofcers and members
of board of directors.
Financial and Educational Advertising.
r Cooperating with a corporations nancial executives, advertising
manager, and outside PR rm handling IR assignments.
r Supervising and writing nancial publicity, nancial advertising,
and announcements of mergers and acquisitions opening of new
plants.
r Preparing institutional advertising, including annual reports and
quarterly advertisements, announcements of acquisitions, opening
and closing of plants, and more.
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Planning the Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

r Organizing program, selecting place of meeting.
r Preparations for answers to questions and criticisms.
r Entertaining press representatives.
r Arranging closed-circuit TV and other communication to reach
stockholders in other parts of the country.
Regional Meetings of Stockholders.
r Assisting stockholders in sale of large blocks of shares.
r Offering gift packages of company products.
Working With Security Analysts.
r Questioning analysts to determine the extent of their knowledge of
the company and their attitudes toward the company.
r Arranging analyst meetings with companys executives and tours
of plants and research facilities.
r Preparing and distributing informational materials to analysts.
As we can see here, IR and nancial communications make up a
very specialized and demanding area of public relations. Its practitioners are well paid and are on a fast track to high executive
positions.
HOW IR IS PRACTICED AT THE TOP PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRMS
Lets say that a multinational corporation is in the process of acquiring

another multinational organization, but many roadblocks must be
hurdled before the deal can be nalized. Regulatory agencies must
approve many aspects of the acquisition. There may be a proxy contest
from a group prepared to better the offer. Dissident stockholders
voice their fear of a dilution of their interest. The nancial press casts
doubts about the efcacy of the deal. The solution: Call in the outside
specialists. This may mean giving the assignment to a large public
relations rm, or even to a specialist nancial PR rm. What can a
PR rm accomplish that the multinational cant?
169
FIGURE 14.1 IR specialists cooperate with others in corporate structure to build

better nancial communications. (Courtesy PRSA)
Here are some examples:

r Conduct a program that will dene and clarify the deal by placing
stories in the right media.
r Arrange an international public relations campaign to be implemented by the rms ofces abroad.
r Set up road-show presentations for the top brass of both parties in
the merger.
r Use the rms public affairs and lobbying team to smooth the path
in Washington.
r Prepare advertising messages to counter the claims of critical
stakeholders.
r Reach the investment community with accurate information about
the operations of both parties to the deal.
r Promote the merger on the Internet.
Public Relations Firms Dene Their Role in Investor Relations
We scanned the IR practice proles of a number of large PR rms to

come up with some highlights of their programs.
The share price of Ogilvy Public Relations client McKesson HBOC
fell by nearly 50% in 1 daya result of the rst of three earnings
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restatements. Ogilvy provided crisis communications support. Later,

the companys actions were viewed as a triumph of the corporate
governance process.
BSMG Worldwide Services works with companies to help evaluate
the benets of mergers and acquisition programs, refocus investment
positioning, rebuild investor sponsorship, and repel dissident shareholders.
Edelman Public Relations Worldwide practices nancial communications in global markets. Some assignments have been helping Visa
International raise awareness of its initiatives in electronic commerce;
managing BankBostons media relations; and promoting Charles
Schwabs products and services to consumer and institutional
investors.
Burson-Marstellers IR practice emphasizes the perceptions of
a companys managementits depth, strategic focus, and vision.
Burson-Marstellers philosophy is that how well a corporation understands and manages these perceptions can inuence investor condence, resulting in a buy or sell decision.
Fleishman-Hillard guided an unknown startup, the Internet Capital
Group (ICG), to success in the uncharted area of business-to-business
(B2B). ICG could then position itself as a holding company, making
investments in the B2B e-commerce area by helping the building of
ICGs business and investments in other e-commerce companies. In
5 months of operation, ICGs portfolio grew to 52 companies.
The Elements of a Major Merger
Between Two Corporate Banking Giants
On September 13, 2000, the consumer banking powerhouse Chase

Manhattan announced its plans to acquire J. P. Morgan & Company,
an investment banking giant. The price: $30.9 billion in stock.
According to The New York Times, September 14, 2000, The
combined J. P. Morgan Chase & Company would have the size to
claim a spot among the worlds nancial titans. It would have about
$660 billion in assets, more than 90,000 employees around the world
and a stock market value of about $95 billion. The newspaper
devoted about 8,000 words to the coverage, including a chart that
traced Chases ownership from Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton
to the Rockefellers and beyond.
Consider the nancial communications and public relations elements of such a major merger. The two banks, their in-house corporate
171
communication and IR teams, and their outside PR counsel rms had

to prepare concise answers to dozens of key questions and issues the
media would certainly ask about. And all this preparation had to
be accomplished with utmost secrecy. Among the medias obvious
questions were:
r Who will run the combined company?
r How many employees will lose their jobs?
r What effect will the merger have on the earnings of the combined
company?
r Did Chase pay too hefty a price above J. P. Morgans market price?
r Is investment banking already too crowded?
In an example of sound employee communications, e-mail messages
about the deal were sent to thousands of employees of both companies
early in the morning of the day the merger was announced to the press.
Industry analysts estimated that about 10,000 employees could lose
their jobs.
The toughest assignment in a merger of this size and impact for the
rms top management is facing the all-knowing stock analysts, who
see the deals immediate and long-term ramications the moment the
merger is announced. In the ChaseMorgan deal, the CEOs of both
companies discussed their proposed merger at an analysts meeting in
New York on the day of the announcement.
In early 2001, the new entity, J. P. Morgan Chase, began trading
on the New York Stock Exchange. Its share price held up fairly well
and the company continued to pay its premerger dividend.
Financial Stories That Make It to The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is our largest circulation newspaperabout

1.76 million, just ahead of USA TODAY. Its inuence in the nancial community and among investors is unsurpassed by any other
newspaper. A favorable story about a company in the WSJ can move
its share price 5 or 10 points in a day. The paper receives thousands
of nancial press releases, yet no one can predict which stories the
paper will use and how it will play a particular story. We examined
our copy of WSJ for January 23, 2001, for some answers:
On page A3 (rst section), the headline read:
Dell Warns Net Will Fall Short of Expectations
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Dell is the second-largest personal computer maker. Its earnings

picture may mirror the whole PC business. The story quoted three
security analysts and the companys chief nancial ofcer (CFO). It
also mentioned that Michael S. Dell, the companys chief executive,
had conference calls with investors on the day of the announcement.
This is a common practice in investor relations.
But a newspaper like The Wall Street Journal is independent and
unpredictable. As part of its coverage of this nancial news, it ran
a chart titled Dells Doldrums, along with the companys not-sopromising previous 9 months sales picture. Dell, incidentally, had a
full-page ad in the same issue the article appeared.
A third story in that days Journal was about the chip maker Texas
Instruments, which boasted of a fourth-quarter prot and sales
increase. The companys CFO was quoted as saying that Texas
Instruments was on track until the very end. The Journal, however,
surveyed analysts who said the prot was lower than expectations.
The stock dropped 5.5% for the day.
A 25-Year-Old Entrepreneur Makes
It in the Venture Capital Business
Page 1 of the business section of the 1.1-million circulation Los

Angeles Times is a coveted spot for investor relations staffers. The
size of a company is only one factor in the business editors selection
process. Editors look for a story angle that will attract the interest of
a large percentage of the newspapers readers, rather than a smaller
number of hard-core investors.
On December 18, 2000, page 1 of the papers business section
carried a color photo of a smiling, tieless and jacketless young
man, Adam Winnick. The headline below the picture read, Fund
Bolsters University Ideas, and the subhead, ITU Venture Focuses on
Entrepreneurship from Grad Schools.
Now why did this story make the grade? First, Winnick is the
25-year-old son of Gary Winnick, one of the richest men in Los
Angeles. Gary Winnick at one time had a net worth exceeding $6
billion, thanks to the rise of his telecommunications rm, Global
Crossing. Winnick p`ere invested $5 million in son Adams business. In
total, Adam Winnicks rm had raised $29 million in venture capital
for his investment rm, ITU Ventures.
ITUs strategy is to use a network of graduate students and faculty
members to nd promising new tech ideas. The fund then works with
173
professors and students by providing seed investments ranging from

$100,000 to $1 million.
In the rst year of its operation, ITU developed networking relationships at MIT, Stanford, and 10 other major universities and
had made a $100,000 investment in a small optical and wireless rm
founded on Caltechs Pasadena campus.
A story like this one is a slam dunk for a nancial communications professional. It has all the right elementsa bright young man
with a good concept fostering successful companies on university
campuses.
Adam Winnick even knew how to give the right quotes to
the reporter covering the story, saying that his company is on the
way to building a strong brand, admitting that his family name
doesnt hurt, and concluding with, Were building a reputation
here.
Summing Up the Role of an Investor Relations Professional
The investor relations ofcer (IRO) plays a key role in a publicly

traded companys relationship with the nancial media, security
analysts, portfolio managers, and individual investors.
On any given day, says Cynthia Clark, assistant professor in
the College of Communication at Boston University, an IRO may
need to discuss whats happening with the companys management,
its stock, its products, or its inventory.
An increasingly pivotal issue for an IRO, says Clark, is disclosure of material information, both qualitative and quantitative,
according to the requirement of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). One debatable issue, for example, is whether
posting information on a Web site satises full disclosure by
itself.2
IROs must realize that the business press sees the same language
every day. It is their job to be different, to write with candor and not
hype, and to be fully conversant with the issue, news, or situation
presented to the media.
An excellent source of information about investor relations is the
National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI). This organization offers
text and trade books, reprints of articles, audiotapes, and other valuable information to assist IR professionals in expanding their horizons. Download the NIRI listing at www.niri.org.
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THE ANNUAL REPORT
I receive about a dozen annual reports. For the most part, I give
each report about a half hour of my attention, although the average
reader only spends 300 seconds. I pretty much know how well each
company has done nancially, so I spend most of the time looking at
the graphics and reading some of the text.
Recently, I read a report from the Tribune Company. Tribune is a diversied media company with interests in television and radio broadcasting, newspaper and educational publishing, and Internet services.
Tribune also has a 25% stake in the WB television network (home
of Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and the Chicago Cubs baseball team.
The 1999 Tribune annual report, handsomely prepared, was an occasion for the company to boast. It was their eighth consecutive year of
growth, the stock had split, and the company had aggressively repurchased some of its own stock, always a sign of nancial good health.
One gap in Tribunes fortunes seems to be the Chicago Cubs. The
annual report had only a brief reference to the team. Obviously,
although Tribune adhered to the Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) regulations about what was required coverage in its annual
report, the Cubs probably failed on the diamond and at the ticket
ofce, so why talk about them?
The Annual Report as Corporate Compass
An article in the June 2000 issue of Reputation Management by

Stephanie Zschunke comments that although an annual report can
make a good rst impression or foster negative thoughts about a
company, it is, nonetheless, important as a corporate compass and as
an investor relations tool.
In todays free-owing technology, with up-to-the-minute nancial information available on the Internet, says Zschunke, some
executives think the annual report is no longer important. Yet others
regard it highly as a communicator of a companys vision, a statement
of the companys direction, and a dialogue with potential or present
shareholders.3
Ted Pincus, chairman of the Financial Relations Board, maintains
that annual reports inuence prospective stockholders investment
decisions. The report is a branding tool, and it is a companys compass.
Done well, an annual report can solidify good public opinion of the
company.
175
A Closer Look at Some Individual Annual Reports
In Stephanie Zschunkes Reputation Management article, experts examine a number of 1999 annual reports. Among their comments are
these:
DuPont. William Dunk of William Dunk Partners commends
DuPonts openness, the companys changed outlook such that from
an old-line brick-and-mortar company, DuPont is remaking itself
through the Internet, knowledge economy, e-commerce, and strategic alliances. Dunk adds, This is the rst time I would ever accuse
DuPont of producing a modern report . . . it has a few small graphics
and is very easy to read . . . it is designed to look like a sketch plan for
the future complete with hand-drawn diagrams and a hand-written
To Do List on the cover.
DuPont uses the report to enthusiastically explain both the why
and how of its changes. Dunk believes this report does a good job
tying all the elements of a knowledge economy together.
Southwest Airlines wins the straightforwardness award for the
cover of its 1990 annual report. In big, bold white letters on a black
FIGURE 14.2 Designers say the annual report cover is the single most important
graphic element. CEOs, they say, should view the cover as seriously as magazine
editors do. The cover has to say, Open me! Read me! Southwest Airlines
annual report does just that. (Courtesy Southwest Airlines Co.)
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CHAPTER 14
background are the words:

In 1990, we made a prot
[signed] Herbert D. Kelleher
[Southwests CEO]
That was the only copy on the reports cover. What stockholder
would not open the report and read it!
Southwest Airlines has always projected a funky, informal image in
its advertising. Its 1999 annual report is a thin book on heavy stock
with graphics in the front around the text, but none to distract from
the nancial gures. The images and text of the report give the airline
a place in history, telling of the signicance of the invention of ight
alongside the signicance of low-cost ight accessible to all, which is
what Southwest is all about.
Alongside 500-year-old sketches by Leonardo Da Vincis feather
and inkwell, and then beside compassed sketches by the Wright brothers, to the blueprints of the modern airplane, and, nally to the
kitschy collectibles of modern ight (pens, pins, and vacation
photographs), the annual report for Southwest Airlines tells the story
of the company as a gure in history. The report states, Wherever
the future takes us, we will always be indebted to the dreamers who
gave us our rst glimpse of the freedom to y.
Reading such text, says Hank Moore of the Management Resource Institute in the Reputation Management article, gives a feelgood warmth as if the airline is a staple for our rights. There is a
denite sense of company pride and generosity to the public all at
once.
There are many people who dont like Nike. They dont like its inuence on amateur and professional sports, and many have protested
the companys labor practices. Some people dont even like its shoes.
An article in the August 1998 issue of Inside PR, titled Nike
Annual Report Shows Company Still Has Sense of Humor, discusses
the companys unusual frankness in its 1997 annual report.
The report opens with a simple statement: Everyones entitled
to an opinion. Then it proceeds to include excerpts from dozens
of letters, telephone calls, and e-mails from satised and dissatised
customers.
The letters are set against a backdrop of newspaper headlines:
Hypocrisy Is Nikes Sole Purpose, Watchdog Group Slams Nike,
Nike to End Ties With Indonesian Companies.
177
One letter in the report says, How dare you and your marketing
jackals manipulate the worlds athletic stage for your own ends. This
letter writer has another gripe: Get on the ball and get the stock price
back up to where I paid for it.
These two letters in the report are my favorites:
My dad has many of your t-shirts and colord shirts. But almost all of
his shirts butins fel off.
I am writing to ask your permission to have a Nike swoosh tattooed
on my right butt.
The letter in the report from Nike chairman and CEO Phil Knight to
the stockholders contains a single short paragraph defending the companys labor policies, and urges consumers to become better informed
rather than just alarmed.
However, while acknowledging that the company has had a tough
year, Knights letter is a forthright piece that begins, This year produced considerable pain. He then proceeds with a blunt assessment
of Nikes problems and a refusal to offer any easy solutions, saying,
Well have good numbers again. Its just not obvious when.
According to Nikes director of corporate communications, Lee
Weinstein, the companys CEO was closely involved in the production of the annual report, which was produced by a team that included
a senior writer, the director of investor relations, and a Nike
designer.
Annual Reports Come of Age
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sets the guidelines for
annual reports. Certain basic nancial information and disclaimers
must be included. These guidelines have been mandated for the protection of stockholders. However, companies have increasingly used
their annual reports for image-building purposes and to strategically
position a company in a particular direction.
What we have also seen in reports is an active effort by corporations
to show their responsibility in terms of global and environmental
issues. As one designer of annual reports put it, Companies are now
using annual reports to try to answer questions before the questions
are asked.4
In terms of disclosure, companies are choosing candor instead of
cant. In his letter to shareholders, Reynolds Metals Company CEO
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William O. Bourke says, From a business standpoint, 1991 is a year

we are glad to have behind us.
Who Does What on an Annual Report
Robert K. Otterbourg is a free-lance annual report writer. In Public

Relations Journal, in August 1992, he discussed the process of
managing a corporations annual report.5
Otterbourg began the process four months before it was to be
completed with a meeting between the corporations president and
marketing service vice-president. In what he called a preliminary noholds-barred session, objectives were stated and themes discussed.
At some organizations the corporate communications director will
present the nding from focus group sessions with shareholders and
nancial analysts. Reaction to the effectiveness of the current report
helps set the tone for the upcoming one. Later, a detailed and realistic
production schedule is set that establishes rm deadlines and delegates
responsibility.
The designer of the report is selected early on. Often, an outside
graphic design rm is chosen for this assignment.
Perhaps the most important consideration in producing a report is
sensitivity to a companys publics and constituenciesshareholders,
security analysts, employees, customers, and suppliers.
The public relations manager in charge of the report devotes
6 months to the project. In the rst 3 months, he or she works halftime on the project, and in the nal 3 months 70%.
Graphics designer Arnold Saks estimates that creativity takes 15%
of the effort, and housekeeping and administrative details take up the
balance of time required to complete an annual report.
CAREER TIP: INVESTOR RELATIONSA GROWTH MARKET
is an excellent eld for MBAs who have writing and PR training.
I ROpportunities
exist at both the corporation and PR counsel rms specializing in nancial PR. PRSA has an investor relations section for professionals in this specialty. New York University, the University of California
at Los Angeles (UCLA), and other colleges offer training programs in investor relations.
C H A P T E R 15
Entertainment and
Personal Public
Relations
ntertainment PR has existed in the United States for as long

as there has been entertainment, predating even P. T. Barnum.
When Henry Rogers founded his own entertainment PR rm
in 1935 with $500 lent to him by his father, there were already three
top publicity ofces in Hollywood, all run by women.
Those were the days of the powerful Hollywood syndicated columnists Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons. Breaking into their columns
was the ticket to heaven for publicists. Henry Rogers and his partner,
Warren Cowan, broke those columns and many others for a roster of clients that included Joan Crawford, Rita Hayworth, Rosalind
Russell, and Olivia de Havilland. By 1965, Rogers and Cowan had
become one of the preeminent independent publicity agencies in the
entertainment industry and, in the process, had given the eld a new
respectability.
Under the old Hollywood system, the studio was responsible for
the publicity of its movies and its contract stars. Once that system
was eliminated, the stars engaged their own publicists.
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Broadway has always had its publicists who fed the columnists of
their day: Walter Winchell, Ed Sullivan, and Earl Wilson. Today, every
running Broadway show has a publicist.
For television, the networks typically have staff publicists to plug
their shows. The music industry, both east and west, employs publicists tuned to that genre.
Entertainment PR has grown in sophistication since its early days.
Publicists of major stars are in power positions. One leading Hollywood publicity agent, Pat Kingsley, and her company, PMK, control
access to more than 140 clients, including Tom Hanks, Jennifer Lopez,
Courtney Love, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Nicole Kidman.
PMK has a staff of 40 employees and grosses about $10 million a
year. Clients pay rms like PMK estimated fees of $3,500 to $8,000
a month. Studios pay about $10,000 a month to outside PR rms for
help with a lms release.
In March 1999, PMK was sold to a giant advertising agency,
McCann-Erickson World Group, which is owned by the Interpublic
Group of Companies, which, in turn, owns other large public relations rms.
HOW PUBLIC RELATIONS WORKS IN THE MOVIE BUSINESS
Today, movie stars, directors, and even screenwriters have their own
publicity counsel. Movie studios also maintain substantial PR staffs,
and on a particular picture the production may engage a unit publicist.
Heres what they do:
A personal publicist is hired by an actor, director, screenwriter,
producer, or anyone else involved in the entertainment industry to
advise on the most effective use of publicity. The client may hire the
publicist to oversee just one particular project that he or she wants
to draw attention to, or to oversee the clients career on an ongoing
basis.
The personal publicist arranges and counsels the client on
which interviews to do. Each interview is arranged to serve the clients
best interest. When possible, the publicist has a say in who will do
the interview, who will take the photograph, and when and how it
will be featured in the publication. It is rare to have total control over
a situation, but the publicist tries to manipulate the elements to the
clients best advantage.
ENTERTAINMENT AND PERSONAL PR
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The publicist also advises the client on which personal appearances

to make and then makes all the arrangements. This includes award
shows, charity benets, speaking engagements, and public service
announcements.
The studio publicist is solely responsible for the studios roster of
lms and for publicity that concerns the studio on a corporate level.
The studio publicity department oversees all aspects of a lms
publicity and promotion from preproduction, through production,
postproduction, and release. This department oversees visits to a
movie set by the press, as well as production stories and magazine,
newspaper, radio, and television interviews for a lm.
The studio publicity department arranges screenings of the lm for
the press, organizes the lms premiere or other event, and oversees
the still photographs used to publicize the lm and the electronic press
kit. The electronic press kit (EPK) is a video presentation about a lm
that may include footage of the lm in production, interviews with the
producer, director, and stars, and any other relevant information that
will be useful to the broadcast media. In addition, the studio publicity
department is responsible for the production notes on a lm, often
with information supplied by the unit publicist. These are handed out
to the press to give them background on the lm and the creative
team behind it. Another function of the studios publicity department
is Web-site marketing.
The unit publicist is hired by the production company or the studio
to deal with all publicity activities while a lm is in production. He
or she is likely to be with the lm on location on a daily basis. Unit
publicists arrange visits to the set by both broadcast and print press.
It is their responsibility to see that these visits are not disruptive to
production, but still get the job done.
The unit publicist writes the production notes for the lm. The
notes include information about the evolution of the project, what
went on during production with quotes from the creative team, and
short biographies of the stars, director, producer, screenwriter, and director of cinematography (and often other behind-the-scenes people).
The completed notes are then handed over to the studio.
The unit publicist stays in constant contact with the studio to let it
know how things are progressing or if there are any problems that require studio intervention. The unit publicist is also responsible for
ensuring that the actors who have photo approval review all the
artwork shot by the lms unit photographer in which they are featured, and then make their kills.
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The negative aspects of being an entertainment publicist are similar

to those of any other kind of publicist. One deals with a wide variety of
personalities, both as clients and as members of the press. Obviously,
some are more demanding and difcult than others. Also, the publicist
often wishes that he or she had more control over how a story turns
out, particularly when it doesnt turn out the way the client hoped it
would. Publicists probably average about 50 phone calls a daysome
days more.
The entertainment publicity business is based on relationships. A
stars appearance as a guest on The Today Show is supposed to
be worth more than feature stories in The New York Times and the
Los Angeles Times put together. How are such appearances arranged?
What are the strategies used?
To arrange any interview, whether print or broadcast, the publicist
rst begins by calling the contact at the media outlet to sell the story. In
television, publicists contact the talent coordinator for a talk show,
or the producer for a news or entertainment program. For radio,
they contact either the assignment desk for a particular station or
radio network or, most often, deal directly with the interviewer. For
print interviews, publicists negotiate with the appropriate editor at a
newspaper or magazine, or often with a freelance writer who has a
relationship with the outlet; then the writer sells the publication on
the story.
The publicist needs a good working knowledge of the media: what
types of television programs, radio programs, newspaper sections, and
magazines are out there. Half the battle is pitching the right person the
right angle and evaluating either the individual client or the project
and deciding which idea or angle has the best chance of selling.
The Publicists Guild supports the interests and welfare of entertainment publicists. In 1993, the Entertainment Publicists Professional
Society (EPPS) was formed. By 2000, EPPS had 220 members.
Satellite Press Tours
A PR ofce or a studio often contracts this assignment out to a company that specializes in organizing press tours. Then it works with
that company to ensure that the kind of interviews it is looking for
are secured.
The idea of a satellite press tour is that the client can sit in a television studio in one city and, via satellite, conduct short interviews
with television stations across the country. Previously, one would
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have to travel from city to city. Obviously, a satellite press tour is

much more convenient. Most of the interviews publicists look for are
on local morning shows (Good Morning Cleveland) or local news
programs, which usually have a short entertainment section.
The Stars and the Media: A Symbiotic Relationship
In recent years we have seen the introduction of dozens of new TV

shows like Entertainment Tonight and numerous interview shows
focusing on entertainment celebrities. There are also magazines
with the same orientation, such as People, Entertainment Weekly, and
Premiere.
The surge in entertainment-related television programs and magazines has provided entertainment publicists with a real boon. The
competition offers them the opportunity to have more control over a
particular interview. If one magazine wont give a publicist the cover,
another probably will. Stars become even more in demand because of
the number of outlets wanting interviews with them, and publicists
can afford to be more particular, thus keeping the client happy.
The increased coverage of entertainment also means that the media
are more apt to do stories on lesser-known gures than they were in
the past. They are also more interested in doing features on the behindthe-scenes people (directors, producers, screenwriters, etc.) than ever
before.
Magazines like People, Vanity Fair, Premiere, Entertainment
Weekly, and even Time and Newsweek run pictures of movie stars
and other celebrities on their covers. Often, the inside of the magazine
has a story about the cover subject. A great deal of money is at stake
on the choice. Well explain why.
Most magazines derive their circulation income from subscriptions
and single-copy (newsstand) sales. Advertising rates are based on a
magazines total circulation. And although the number of subscriptions are xed from year to year, the newsstand numbers vary, depending upon a number of circumstances, often the cover subject.
So, for example, a magazine may distribute 700,000 copies on the
newsstand one month with a young actress on the cover, and only sell
250,000 copies. Another month, the publication may run a cover with
a trio of hot Hollywood actresses and sell 550,000 copies. Newsstand
distribution is carried out on a consignment basis. Because a magazines advertising rates are set on its total circulation numbers, there
are obviously many dollars involved in making the right cover choice.
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The movie studios are also in this picture. The right magazine cover
of the star of a forthcoming picture may improve the opening weekend
box ofce by many millions of dollars. And stars know that if their
picture does well, their asking price for the next picture will go up
three or four million dollars.
Publicity agents to the stars are keenly aware of the medias needs
and the nations obsession with celebrity. As a result, they call many
of the shots in entertainment journalism.
In an article in The New York Times, veteran show biz journalist
Bernard Weinraub wrote, She [Pat Kingsley] shrewdly manipulates
and cajoles magazine editors and television executives, and often demands outright that for proles of her clients, they use preferred interviewers (usually ones who are in awe of stars and will ask softball
questions, as well as glossy photographs.1
Journalist Catherine Seipp articulated the media/star relationship
in an article in American Journalism Review: The dance of mutual
dependence between magazines and celebrities has long been a tense
tango, with a media culture so carefully choreographed by publicists
that celebrities can be shocked [in an interview] when they encounter
a rare unpuffy question. Its the equivalent of getting stomped on by
a clod trying to lead. But these days the tango seems to be performed
by marionettes, manipulated from above by celebrity publicists.2
If youre a Hollywood publicity agent, youll be one of about 3,000
in your profession, and youll earn a lot less than agents, managers,
and attorneys for the stars. Junior associate agents in Hollywood
make between $40,000 and $60,000 a year, whereas senior partners
in an entertainment publicity rm can earn $100,000 or more.
Other Players in Entertainment Public Relations
Hollywood and Broadway have hundreds of entertainment PR rms,

large and small, and some that are one-person operations. Add to this
list the in-house publicity staffs of the major studios, the TV networks,
and the TV shows themselves.
Baker-Winokur-Ryder, headquartered in Beverly Hills with an ofce in New York, specializes in motion pictures, television, talent, and
technology public relations. The rm is a division of Ogilvy Public
Relations Worldwide, which we cover in chapter 4.
Annett Wolf and Lisa Kasteler run a boutique entertainment public relations business with some mighty clientsMeg Ryan, Nicolas
Cage, Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, and Samuel L. Jackson.
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Most of the top 10 public relations rms covered in chapter 4

engage in the practice of entertainment marketing and communications. For example, Edelman Public Relations represents the IMAX
Corporation, Warner Home Video, CBS, Madame Tussauds Wax
Exhibition, and Hard Rock International.
More recently, Edelmans practice took on branding identity programs for top-selling instrumentalist Kenny G, Gloria Estefans Millenium Concert in Miami, and world champion gure skater Michelle
Kwan.
The Rogers & Cowan Story
Earlier in this chapter we referred to the legendary Hollywood public

relations rm Rogers & Cowan. This praisery, as some have called
it, goes back to the 1940s. In those early days, they needed stunts to
get the ink. In the Los Angeles Times, Daniel Akst writes about how
Henry Rogers wired one of his rst clients, Rita Hayworth, with the
news that she had been selected Hollywoods best-dressed offscreen
actress by some fashion group he had invented. The stunt landed her
on the cover of Look magazine before anyone ever wised up.
Cowan reminisces about other memorable events in his rms
career. Figuring out that client Julio Iglesias sold more than one million
albums in each of six different languages one year, Rogers & Cowan
got this snippet of news into the Guinness Book of World Records,
and watched in glee as a British paper headlined the story: Move
Over, Beethoven.
In the Los Angeles Times article, Akst writes about how, in the
early 1960s, Rogers & Cowan created the rst celebrity sports tournament for charity, the Frank Borzage Invitational Golf Tournament.
Fred Astaire, Mickey Rooney, and Clark Gable played while Marilyn
Monroe kept score, and Frank Sinatra landed on the rst tee by helicopter to caddy for Bing Crosby.3
Today, Rogers & Cowan is owned by one of our top 10 public relations rms, Shandwick International, and has ofces in Los
Angeles, New York, and London. The rm is divided into nine groups.
The personalities group represents lm and television personalities,
as well as supermodels and fashion designers. In the music group,
the client roster includes concert tour promoters, musical artists, and
record producers. The other groups include television, motion pictures, fashion/beauty, promotions, product and product placement,
special events, and corporate and consumer marketing.
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Rogers & Cowan offers career and internship opportunities. For

further information, contact Robin Tucker, Human Resources
Manager, rtucker@shandwick.com.
PERSONAL PUBLIC RELATIONS
In movieland, its not only the stars who have publicists. Even Beverly
Hills dentists who specialize in smile reconstructions, dog groomers,
philanderers and philanthropists, and the chichi landscaper who runs
Affaires of the Gardenall have spokespersons, or is it spokespeople?
Someone once said, In Hollywood, even the press agents have
press agentsthemselves.
The proliferation of publicists is particularly dramatic in Los
Angeles, where manufacturing celebrities is an indigenous industry.
No one knows exactly how many people work in public relations in
the Los Angeles area. There are more than 700 public relations rms
listed in the local business directories.
Celebrities and Crises
In her book Crisis Communications, Kathleen Fearn-Banks discussed

the privacy issues facing celebrities and their public relations representatives. She pointed out that although the Fourth Amendment
of the U.S. Constitution grants the right of privacy to all citizens, it
excludes public gures. Thus, the press can divulge information
about celebrities as long as it is legitimate news. The determination
of news, however, is a highly debated subject.
A particular problem arises when the celebrity is a spokesperson
for a brand or service. Fearn-Banks pointed out three frequent crises
that have occurred when a celebrity acts as a spokesperson:
1. Spokespersons inform the public that they do not use or support
the product they endorse.
2. Spokespersons are charged with a crime or are publicly associated
with illegal or immoral activity.
3. Spokespersons are charged with encouraging crime related to the
endorsed product or service.
187
The author cited as an examples of a celebrity crisis the Beatles

Ringo Starr speaking on behalf of Sun Country wine coolers and
subsequently entering an alcohol rehabilitation center.
Pepsi was not upset when its spokesperson, Michael Jackson, the
King of Pop, admitted that he didnt drink Pepsi. Instead, he acknowledged that he drank only vitamin-fortied liquids. Pepsi accepted this
denial, saying, Its not important to us whether he drinks it. He has
millions of fans who drink it. Whats more, Jackson has a Pepsi vending machine at his home that we supply. We presume he serves it to
his guests.
A Personal Publicity Master Tells All
In chapter 8, we offered the media relations comments of Howard

J. Rubenstein. His rm specializes in keeping celebrities in and out of
the press. Here are his answers to three questions I posed to him on
personal public relations.
Your rm handles many high-voltage personalities such as Donald
Trump. Is PR for these clients managed on an issue-by-issue basis, or
is it based on a strategic plan? Do their organizations have their own
PR departments and, if so, how do you interact with them?
It is crucial in all accounts, and particularly with so-called highvoltage clients, to understand their operations and their objectives.
Since these clients are in the public eye, they are inevitably both newsmakers and targets. There must be an overall strategy to ensure that
you are moving in the right direction. But every issue must also be
evaluated on a day-by-day basis, with continuing input from the client
or his designated representative, to meet the internal logic of each situation, to exploit its full potential (or minimize its damage). A number
of our clients do have their own PR departments and we work well
with them. Basically, we extend their reach.
The important factor is to speak with one voice, theirs or ours,
which reects the best judgments made after appropriate consultation
and review.
How do you work with the trash tabloids that prey on celebrities
like Donald Trump?
We serve as heat shields or buffers, as appropriate, and politely decline any interviews [the clients] may not wish to do. Our clients, in
consultation with us, set the ground rules so that we can make informed
judgments about how best to serve their interests. Some questions or
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allegations dont deserve the dignity of a response. For many, no comment will do. For others, it may be important to squelch a rumor or
present a position.
As a fast-growing organization, you obviously are increasing staff.
Where do you look for new people?
I believe we have a great staff of Tiffany-quality professionals. Many
have been with me for many, many years. Among the qualities I value
most are the ability to listen well, to understand a clients needs rather
than talk a loud, uninformed blue streak; solid business and political judgment; fast and facile writing; adherence to the highest ethical
standards, both personal and professional; commitment and a desire
to work hard, which is crucial in a service business like ours; and a love
of the profession. My top peopleand those I continue to seek out
come from government, private-sector companies, other agencies, and
the media.
CAREER TIP
ant to make it in entertainment publicity? UCLA Extension in Los
Angeles has an outstanding nine-session evening program that covers every phase of this specialization. More than 20 entertainment industry public relations heavyweights serve as guest speakers.
Topics covered include developing a publicity plan for a movie or TV
show, the three phases of motion-picture publicity, campaigns for individual actors and other creative talent, music publicity, and new medias
importance in the marketing of entertainment products.
This course is a requirement toward the schools entertainment publicity concentration and is an elective credit toward the certicate in public
relations.
Contact jrprfr@uclaextension.org.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I am grateful for the contribution by the late John West of some of

the information in this chapter.
C H A P T E R 16
Healthcare
Marketing and
Communications
eres a tale of two pills. In December 1998, the pharmaceutical giant Pharmacia received Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) approval for the arthritis pain reliever, Celebrex. In
May 1999, pharmaceutical giant Merck won FDA approval for another arthritis pain reliever, Vioxx.
The medical benet of these two new drugs is their capacity to
lower the risk of developing ulcers, a problem that exists for arthritis
patients taking pain relievers like aspirin and ibuprofen.
The potential here for the makers of Celebrex and Vioxx is enormous. These days it is not uncommon for a successful drug to have
annual sales exceeding $1 billion.
An article in The New York Times, Pushing Pills With Piles of
Money, by Melody Petersen, told how Pharmacia and Merck spent
millions of dollars to gain dominance for their new brands.1 One promotional technique the two drug companies used was the employment
of Bruce Jenner, Dorothy Hamill, and Bart Conner, celebrity athletes
who were taking the pain relievers for their sore joints.
TV commercials and print ads aimed at consumers were used extensively, and hundreds of doctors were given fees to speak on behalf
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of the drugs benets in alleviating the pain of arthritis. More than

4,000 representatives of Pharmacia and Merck visited doctors to promote the drugs.
During the rst 4 months of 2000, Merck spent $67 million to
advertise Vioxx to consumers, more than any company spent to advertise any other drug. The blitz marketing campaign paid off big
time. Doctors prescribed the drugs, and patients rushed to their pharmacies to buy them, at a cost of about $86 for a months supply. By
comparison, generic pain relievers on the market cost about $11 for
a months supply.
The sales results for Celebrex and Vioxx far surpassed the previous
hot drugs of the late 1990s, Lipitor and Viagra.
When the FDA voiced warnings about the side effects of these new
drugs, Pharmacia and Merck launched a massive campaign to educate physicians about the drugs benets. Pharmacia, partnered with
Monsanto as the maker of Celebrex, enlisted members of the
American Gastroenterological Association in a paid effort to encourage people with arthritis to take a quiz to see if they might be at risk
for developing serious ulcers from taking Celebrex. Those who were
at risk were encouraged to talk to their doctors before taking the new
drug.
Free samples of Celebrex and Vioxx were distributed in hospitals,
even though claims and counterclaims over both drugs efcacy were
raised. At one point, in late 2000, the FDA told Pharmacia and its
marketing partner for the drug, Pzer, to cut a widely aired TV commercial for Celebrex. It was the third time in 14 months that the FDA
had cited Celebrex marketing, addressing improper claims made by
the drugs sales representatives. One ad showed arthritic people engaged in such activities as zipping around on scooters. The FDA said
that was too much. Nonetheless, the huge promotional and advertising campaigns paid off. The two companies sold about $4 billion
worth of the painkillers in 2000.
THE MONEY SPENT ON DRUG ADVERTISING

AND MARKETING
An article in The Wall Street Journal for January 2, 2001 details the big
marketing bucks drug companies spend to promote their products.2
In 1999, drug companies spent $12 billion on medical journal ads,
HEALTHCARE MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
191
samples handed to doctors, and other expenses. To reach consumers,

the companies spent almost $2 billion on print and television campaigns. TV received by far the largest share of this spending, but newspaper and magazine ads, brochures, and posters got a healthy dose as
well.
Balancing the Demands of Diverse Publics
In an article in Public Relations Journal,3 Don Hyman, top PR executive, said that public relations professionals in the pharmaceutical
and healthcare business have learned the language of marketing. But
theres a lot more to learn, particularly how to deal with consumer
advocates, government regulators, and other publics.
Consider the diverse publics involved: multinational corporations,
private investors, healthcare professionals, insurance companies,
health organizations, government, the managed care industry, patients, and the general public. And in building a positive image for
pharmaceutical makers, ways must be found to help consumers become wise patients.
Hyman gave examples of proactive, image-related issues that challenge public relations professionals in the pharmaceutical industry:
r Hazardous waste disposal.
r Animal testing.
r Pricing costly drugs developed for treating AIDS and other politically sensitive diseases.
r Regulating biotechnology research.
r Therapeutic substitution.
r Generic equivalency.
r Product liability.
r Marketing practices abroad.
r National health insurance.
Finally, said Hyman, public relations professionals have to
develop and implement programs where all sides walk away as winners. They must help guide companies to continue to give back generously and variously to the society they draw prots from. They
must engineer situations in which journalists get good stories while
physicians and patients get useful, accurate information. They must
regulate themselves. If they dont, others will do it for them.
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THE LARGEST PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRMS AND THEIR

HEALTHCARE PRACTICES
All 10 of the largest public relations rms covered in chapter 4 are active in the health and medical practice area. Some even own specialist
rms in this growing eld. We offer highlights of these practices.
Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
Ogilvy has planned and executed strategic communications programs

in virtually all facets of healthcare and for a broad list of clients.
Examples include the following.
Cardiology. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Multiyear public education campaigns to help consumers manage risk
factors for high blood pressure, cholesterol, heart attacks, obesity,
asthma, and sleep disorders.
Oncology. Bristol-Myers Squibb. Prelaunch communications for
Orzel, an oral chemotherapy for colorectal cancer.
HIV/AIDS. Glaxo Wellcome. Product marketing for its HIV
franchise
Womens health. FDA Ofce of Womens Health. Social marketing campaign geared to mid-life and older women about using
medicines wisely in Take Time to Care
Marketing communications. Novartis. To support its CNS
(central nervous system) portfolio. Shaped messages and coordinated
execution for more than 30 countries for their latest major CNS drug
approval.
FKH is a division of Ogilvy that offers specialized communications
consulting for the biotechnology industry. The rm also furnishes
business development, market research, and strategic consulting services for healthcare clients.
Hill & Knowlton
To be a leader in todays healthcare marketplace, a public relations

rm must provide its clients with the kinds of services they do not have
in-house. Hill & Knowltons healthcare and pharmaceutical practice
is totally in tune with the fast-paced rhythms of this specialization.
193
It presents its clients integrated expertise in these key audience

sectors:
r PatientHIV/AIDS advocacy groups, womens health organizations, disease education organizations, diversity constituencies.
r Payermanaged care organizations, employer coalitions, integrated systems.
r Pharmaceuticalspharmaceuticals, medical devices, biotechnology, animal health companies.
r Policypublic health and federal and state legislative contact and
regulatory counsel.
r Providerhospitals, health systems, medical groups, physician
structures, regional alliances, associations.
In addition to Hill & Knowltons prociency in these practice sectors, the rm offers experience in bridging high technology and molecular biology/genomics, and a broad geographical and service-sector
reach.
Here are some recent Hill & Knowlton client headlines:
Study Finds Alzheimers Indications Early in Life (The Wall
Street Journal).
Online Exchange for HealthCare Companies Could Cut Costs
(The New York Times).
Medical Suppliers Team Up for On-line Exchange for Hospitals (Chicago Tribune).
Bone Marrow Could Be Endless Source of Nerve Cells (USA
Today).
Burson-Marsteller
Burson-Marstellers healthcare practice has a global focus. In practical terms, it means that the rm is positioned to help its clients
navigate the new medical, political, social, and economic landscape,
creating and managing perceptions that deliver business results. The
practice gives clients the ability to translate science into the language
and everyday behaviors of people, patients, and politicians.
An example of Burson-Marstellers healthcare practice is the
launch of a drug aimed at the central nervous system, as well as drugs
that tackle a variety of virus-related diseases. The rm has also applied
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its political expertise to ally development and grass-roots mobilization in the healthcare eld.
Porter Novellis strategy is the focusing of close attention on healthcare

marketing issues in order to function as a problem solver by utilizing
diverse communications strategies to change public perceptions, raise
awareness, and increase product sales.
Some of its assignments have been helping smokers around the
globe give up the habit, teaching physicians and nancial analysts
about the life-saving potential new therapies, educating parents about
treatments for childhood diseases, and helping ensure fair prices for
therapies.
GCI Healthcare
The professionals at GCI Healthcare break down their practice into

nine specialized and dedicated services:
Strategic planning and research
Advocacy
Clinical trial recruitment
Media relations
Client service
Interactive
Corporate
Consumer
Consensus
Specically, GCIs therapeutic category expertise extends to the

areas of biotechnology, cardiovascular, consumer health, central nervous system, dermatology, dental, diagnostic, eye care, geriatrics,
infectious disease, managed care, nutrition, oncology, and womens
health.
Fleishman-Hillard
Fleishman-Hillards healthcare practice is best exemplied by a Cipra

2000 winning entry, The Obesity Research Challenge, for clients
Knoll Pharmaceutical and the North America Association for the
Study of Obesity (NAASO).
Data show that 55% of Americans are overweight or obese, yet
media attention is focussed on fad diets and miracle cures that often
have no legitimate grounding. NAASO attempts to communicate with
the public and health professionals about obesity.
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Fleishman-Hillard worked with NAASO on the media relations

coverage of its annual meeting to communicate the best science about
the disease of obesity. Knoll Pharmaceutical Company provided an
educational grant to NAASO for support of the annual meeting.
This effort increased awareness of the organization and its research.
Spokespeople for NAASO were trained to handle on-site and telephone interviews. Five hundred scientic abstracts were presented to
health professionals and the public about obesity issues.
Highlights of the NAASO meetings coverage included seven articles
in USA TODAY, appearing each day of the meeting, four Associated
Press articles, three live appearances on MSNBC Newsfront, and
more than 300 broadcast placements aired about science presented
at the meeting.
Edelman Public Relations
Edelmans healthcare practice uses the diverse talents of more than

200 specialists and the global capabilities of numerous complementary practices.
At the earliest stages of a brands life cycle, the clinical trial, Edelman
spearheads the recruitment of candidates for clients like HoffmannLaRoches u pill.
Later it disseminates clinical trial data (Eli Lilly), and create groundbreaking professional education programs (CIBA Vision). Finally,
when a brand reaches the approval launch and global rollout period,
Edelmans healthcare team helps maximize impact.
Edelmans healthcare and reputation management professionals interpret complex scientic issues and benets and help build a companys most important brand, its corporate image, for clients such
as Pzer, Cephalon, Merck, and Schering-Plough.
Shandwick International
For many healthcare brands, global product rollouts are a necessity.

Shandwick, headquartered in London with ofces in 60 other countries, is ideally situated to offer these services. Its reach extends to
new healthcare categories like nutraceuticals and biotech products.
Shandwick is also expert in exploring new ways of using the Internet
to bring information to target audiences, whether they are media or
consumers.
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FIGURE 16.1 The sophisticated practice of global healthcare requires many solutions. Here is a range of Edelmans client activities. Left to right: Introducing
the Roche Glucotrend blood sugar monitor in the U.K.; working with BristolMyers Squibb on behalf of children with AIDS in Mexico; recruiting patients
for u treatment clinical trials on behalf of Roche Pharmaceuticals; launching Ribena Toothkind in Dublin; reporting on a medical research meeting in
Brussels; climbing mountains on behalf of multiple sclerosis and Berlex Laboratories in Argentina. (Courtesy Edelman Public Relations Worldwide)
Ketchum
Ketchum is the seventh-largest agency in the world. It has ofces from

Chicago to Shanghai and more than 1,200 employees. Its performance
in healthcare mirrors the quality of the whole rm.
The pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca competed against ve virtually identical high blood pressure medications with its Atacand
197
products. The assignment called for Ketchum to increase sales force effectiveness, forge relationships with physicians, and establish Atacand
as a powerful new choice for managing hypertension.
Ketchum accomplished its clients objectives with Have a Heart,
a grass-roots educational program that enlisted more than 1,800
physicians in 54 cities. Ketchum conducted several programs: Media
Outreach, Have a Heart Physician Forums, a Have a Heart Educational Kit, and even a Hypertension Scorecard in partnership
with regional blood banks.
In a sure sign of success, Atacands sales for 1999 reached $51
million, exceeding projections by 20%.
BSMG Worldwide
BSMGs medical and health practice serves as marketing communications counsel to companies like Bristol-Myers Squibb, Johnson
&Johnson, Pzer, SmithKline Beecham, and the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). The rms work
often begins in the early stages of product development, then moves on
to clinical trial recruitment programs, product launches, brand equity
development, consumer and professional education, FDA/regulatory
support, constituency building, and media relations.
One notable BSMG effort is the milk mustache campaign, which is
credited with transforming the national perceptions of milk toward
hip and healthy.
Manning, Selvage & Lee Joins with the Upjohn Company
in a Campaign Against Diabetes
Manning, Selvage & Lee is one of the worlds largest PR rms. It has
a formidable healthcare practice. Some years ago, with client Upjohn,
the rm launched Unidos Contra la Diabetes (United Against
Diabetes). Its purpose was to disseminate information to Hispanic
Americans about the disease and bring to their attention Upjohns
oral antidiabetes therapy.
Diabetes is the third leading cause of death by disease in the United
States.
First, an extensive research effort was undertaken. Some of its ndings were:
r Previous campaigns by the American Diabetes Association (ADA)
were analyzed.
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r The Roman Catholic Church was considered a key ally by virtue

of its strength among Hispanics.
r Most family healthcare decisions in the Hispanic community are
made by the oldest woman in the family.
r Heavy use of media directed at Hispanics was essential to the programs success.
Planning.
r Two cities with large Hispanic populations, East Los Angeles,
California, and San Antonio, Texas, were designated as the target
areas of the campaign.
r Local community organizations were recruited, as were doctors
and other members of the health professional community in these
cities.
r Channels of communication included news media publicity, radio
promotion, direct mail, free-standing newspaper inserts, church
newsletters, and special community events.
Objectives.
r Motivate 1,000 Hispanic Americans at risk for diabetes to see a
health professional for a diabetes evaluation.
r Media coverage was needed to discuss the symptoms, risk factors,
and treatments for diabetes.
r Upjohn was to be hailed for its commitment to diabetes education
and patient service.
r The total budget for the campaign in both cities was set at
$100,000.
Execution. Working with the Los Angeles afliate of the American
Diabetes Association, the Upjohn/Manning team organized the previously mentioned Unidos Contra la Diabetes, a 6-hour health fair
that included patient screening, question and answer sessions with a
physician, a nutritionist, and even an exercise expert.
Pre-event publicity included TV and radio interviews with Spanishspeaking physicians and others discussing the warning signs of diabetes. Singer Vicki Carr, a local celebrity, recorded public service
announcements in English and Spanish. And an insert promoting
Unidos Contra la Diabetes was published in eight separate Spanishlanguage daily and weekly newspapers.
199
San Antonios Strike Out Diabetes Night was coordinated by the

local afliate of the American Diabetes Association and had the participation of the local San Antonio Missions baseball team, Catholic
church leader Archbishop Patricio Flores, radio stations, and a
preevent media tour by baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Catsh
Hunter, a diabetic himself.
Evaluation. In Los Angeles, nearly 1,000 Hispanic Americans attended the Unidos Contra la Diabetes event, 563 people were evaluated for diabetes, and 85% were found by ADA staff to be at risk for
diabetes and referred to Spanish-speaking physicians for further testing and evaluation at no charge. In addition, media relations efforts
about diabetes education yielded 4.4 million impressions in local TV,
radio, and newspapers.
In San Antonio, 3,000 attended the Strike Out Diabetes Night.
More than 1,500 people were evaluated, of which 12% tested positive and were referred for treatment. Nationwide, the program received coverage on the Univision Hispanic network and in Hispanic
magazine.
On the strength of its success in these two cities, the following year
the program was extended to Miami.
For its Unidos Contra la Diabetes campaign, the Upjohn Company and Manning, Selvage & Lee were awarded a 1989 Silver Anvil
Award in the category of special public relations programs.
When a PR Push Goes Too Far
Heres how a companys scare tactics raised public concerns but

rubbed some doctors the wrong way.
The thought of having to undergo any surgery is fearsome. But
what about waking up on the operating table, conscious but unable
to move or speak as the surgeons keep cutting?
An article in The Wall Street Journal tells about what anesthesiologists call intraoperative awareness, a real phenomenon in which
an anesthetic wears off, leaving patients awake but still under the
inuence of paralytic drugs, perhaps even in pain.4
In 1998, Aspect Medical Systems brought out its Bi-spectral Index
Monitor (BIS), a device that can reduce such occurrences by measuring
the brains electroencephalograph (EEG) signals and the effects of
anesthesia.
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In the 2 years after the FDA approved the device, more than 800
hospitals, 15% of the U.S. total, purchased it and Aspects stock
zoomed. A single BIS unit costs $8,900, plus as much as $15 per
use for the disposable sensors.
As soon as Aspects BIS began being ordered, the company escalated its promotional and marketing efforts, with a PR campaign to
inform the public about intraoperative awareness. But many doctors
said that Aspects claims misled hospitals and patients into believing
that the monitor prevented intraoperative awareness. Further, to
sell the BIS monitor aggressively, Aspects sales staff even warned
doctors that they might face malpractice suits if they didnt adopt the
device.
Finally, Aspect backtracked on some of its claims and even informed the American Society of Anesthesiologists that it would shift
the focus of its media coverage. But the company continued to market the product by distributing fact sheets to hospitals and the press
describing the device as a solution to the problem of intraoperative
awareness.
Inevitably, once the public perceived the possibility of being awake
during surgery, a urry of lawsuits was brought against hospitals for
failure to use the BIS monitor.
To add to the controversy, the chairman of the anesthesiology department at the University of California at San Diego said that use of
the BIS monitor might actually increase intraoperative awareness by
encouraging doctors to use minimal anesthesia.
Breathe Easy About Benadryl and Sudafed
In a September 12, 2000, issue of The New York Times, a full-page ad

for Sudafed and Benadryl proclaimed: Concerned about the recent
FDA statement about certain cold medicines?5
Below the graphic of the products was the line: Every Sudafed and
Benadryl product is PPA-free.
Because PPA (phenylpropanolamine) has received a great deal of
negative publicity about increasing risk of strokes, it was necessary
for Pzer, manufacturer of Sudafed and Benadryl, to take a positive stand in promoting its cold and allergy medicines. The ads copy
stated that these two products never have and never will contain
PPA.
201
When Healthcare Advertising Meets Healthcare Editorial
An advertorial that runs periodically in The New York Times Magazine is titled From Cause to cure. One recent edition had a cover
photo of a smiling senior citizen and cover lines that read, Heart
Disease and Hypertension, Cholesterol Levels: What the Numbers
Mean, Can Diet Curtail Hypertension, and Congestive Heart Failure:
Innovative Treatments Bring Hope.
The inside of the 20-page insert included ads from a number of
hospitals with renowned heart centers; the American Heart Association; and PhRMA, the umbrella organization for many of Americas
pharmaceutical companies.
But heres where a person trained in medical esthetics or a media
critic may fault the premise of the insert. The Merck Company, makers of the cholesterol-lowering drug Zocor, ran a three-page ad in the
insert. This raises a number of questions. Do the hospitals who advertised in the insert recommend Zocor as the most effective medicine in
the treatment of heart disease? What about all the other drugs that
treat this disease? And, nally, does the designation Advertisement
in tiny type at the top of each advertorial page clarify to the reader
that the information was written by participating advertisers, not the
editorial staff of The New York Times?
A Noteworthy Healthcare Public Relations Campaign
We searched the Web site of PRCENTRAL for outstanding public

service campaigns by pharmaceutical companies and other organizations. Here are highlights of one outstanding campaign.
Americas Awakening With Eli Lilly. One percent of Americans,
more than 2.7 million people, suffer from schizophrenia, and until
recently there was no hope for a cure or a reduction in the number of
people developing the disease.
It took a partnership of the Chamberlain Communications Group
(CCG), Dateline NBC, the National Mental Health Association
(NMHA), the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), Fountain House, and Eli Lilly and Company to build a schizophrenia educational program with these objectives:
r Destigmatize schizophrenia in the minds of Americans.
r Build support for the use of newer medicines to treat schizophrenia.
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r Awaken America to the hopes, aspirations, and successful return to

society of those living with severe mental illness.
The vehicle chosen to tell the schizophrenia story to a large audience
was the Dateline NBC documentary Awakening. It told the story
of Luca Moylan, a 25-year-old with schizophrenia.
With the help of new medications, a loving mother, and the tender care of his physician, Dr. Ralph Aquila, Luca was successfully
reintegrated into society and was able to take classes at a community
college.
Chamberlain Communications Groups promotional team decided
to use Awakening to localize Lucas story across America. The team
selected Friday, August 20, 1999, as Americas Awakening.
Segment producers at NBC afliate stations across the country were
contacted about carrying the show on this special date. CCG staff
traveled the country conducting media training sessions to prepare
physicians and patients to appear on local broadcasts tied in with
the showing of Americas Awakening on the special date. CCG
also teamed with local independent public relations rms to manage the event nationwide. Nearly 30 physician/patient teams were
interviewed on NBC afliate stations on August 20, the day of the
telecast.
NBC introduced CCG to local market producers, health reporters,
and assignment-desk editors, encouraging them to develop local companion feature stories. CCG was to be the resource to coordinate
interviews with local physicians and patients.
One benet that NBC News offers its viewing audiences is a compendium of background information on segments that air on its programs. Dateline NBC posted this information on MSNBCs Web
site about schizophrenia around the time of the airing of Americas
Awakening.
To assure print media coverage of the show, CCG conducted comprehensive media outreach to leading newspaper across the country.
The efforts paid off. Favorable reviews were carried in The New
York Times, the New York Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Arizona
Republic, and The Newark Star-Ledger on the day the Dateline
segment aired.
The measured audio for the show was 15.6 million people.
Dateline NBC won its time slot on August 20, and a total of
27 NBC stations ran local stories, featuring successfully reintegrated
patients.
203
The powerful message conveyed in the show for those living with
schizophrenia, those caring for them, and the millions of Americans
watching Americas Awakening was that with newer medications
and the right kind of support from family and physicians, a return to
normal life is possible.
C H A P T E R 17
Crisis
Communications
and Management
n Chapter 4, we wrote that when disaster strikes, the job of PR is

to assess the situation and the damage quickly, to assemble all the
facts and background information, and to offer them to the news
media, along with the publics response. This practice becomes increasingly complex when a large population is involved and when a
hostile group is suspected of criminal activity.
On September 11, 2001, New Yorks World Trade Center towers
and a section of the Pentagon were demolished by suicide air attacks
carried out, it is believed, by the terrorist followers of the exiled Saudi
militant, Osama bin Laden. Thousands were killed.
In early October 2001, in a development possibly related to the
World Trade Center disaster, the tabloid publisher, American Media,
Boca Raton, Florida, received an anthrax-spiked letter. Seven of its
employees were exposed. One died, and another was hospitalized
with an anthrax infection.
Later, similar incidents occurred at the New York ofces of NBCs
Tom Brokaw, CBSs Dan Rather, and the ABC network, fortunately
with no deaths.
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CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS
205
Soon, panicked New Yorkers were taking antibiotics before being

tested for anthrax exposure, and purchasing gas masks, protective
full-body suits, and germicidal wipes to protect against this biological
scourge.
Since the World Trade Center attack and the anthrax detections
occurred on his beat, New Yorks mayor, Rudolph W. Giuliani, took
the reins of his citys PR response to the biological crisis. He conducted
daily press conferences where he answered dozens of questions and
implored New Yorkers not to panic. According to The New York
Times, the mayor sought to balance the appetite for information
against the potential for hysteria. To the media, he was carrying out
a cautious but sound campaign against fear.
In a crisis of this magnitude, the public relations arms of these
government agencies and departments came into play: the Bush White
House, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the attorney
general, the secretary of health and human services, and the F.B.I.
Add to this list from the private sector: Bayer, the maker of the antibiotic Cipro; and NBC, ABC, and CBS, the three networks where the
contaminated letters were sent.
CRISIS AT COLUMBINE
It was a terrifying example of the violence that pervades our

societyfrom the streets to the schoolyardand it happened in a
suburban high school just outside of Denver in April 1999.
Two heavily armed students, clad in dark ski masks and wearing
long black coats, went on a killing orgy, setting off homemade bombs
outside the school, then gunning down students, and nally using the
guns on themselves. The tragedy at Columbine will long be remembered as the worst high school shooting in U.S. history.
In the aftermath of the terror, many questions were asked: Should
the two students odd behavior and Nazi-like clothing have attracted
more attention from the school authorities, and why did more than
200 heavily armed SWAT team members and other police ofcers
in body armor stand around discussing strategy while hundreds of
children were inside?
Out of the carnage at Columbine, the crisis management efforts of
the team at Jefferson County Public Schools communications services
team stands out. For this achievement, the team won the Public
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Relations Society of Americas Silver Anvil Award 2000 in the category of crisis management.
Rick Kaufman, leader of the Columbine Crisis Communications
Response Team, became a familiar presence in national media crisis
coverage. One of the rst people on the scene at Columbine High
School, he coordinated strategic communications about the crisis and
its aftermath, plus the 1-year recovery and healing efforts.
Kaufman worked with the various law enforcement and emergency
response teams on site, as well as the more than 700 national and
international media outlets. He currently serves as district spokesman
for all Jefferson County Schools. Previously, he directed the public relations programs for two of the largest school districts in Wisconsin,
served as a special consultant with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, and is a past president of the Wisconsin School Public
Relations Association.
Accredited by the National School of Public Relations Association
(NSPRA), Kaufman is the recipient of NSPRAs Gold Medallion for
crisis management, and he was honored by being named the public relations professional of the year. The team at Jefferson County Schools
received the Public Relations Society of Americas Silver Anvil for
crisis communication.
We reprint here the text of Rick Kaufmans winning entry.
THE COLUMBINE TRAGEDY: MANAGING THE

UNTHINKABLEJEFFERSON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Silver Anvil Awards 00Category 11B Crisis Management
Research
r Assisted, prior to the tragedy, in the development of district crisis

management plan, including an emergency response checklist of
steps for the rst 24- to 48-hour period after a crisis.
r Consulted with school administrative and PR ofcials from each
of the prior school shooting sites, and with the National School
Public Relations Association, the National Organization of Victims Assistance, and the Crisis Prevention Institute to identify
strategies of crisis response and management.
r Organized brieng with district management team, school
board ofcials, employee association representatives, and community leaders to review responsibilities outlined in the crisis
207
management plan including the establishment of two command

centersan on-site communications center (near Columbine)
and a central operations center.
r Participated in daily briengs with law enforcement, state and federal emergency management agencies, and governmental groups
to coordinate the ongoing crisis response and management.
r Created database of media outlets that contacted the district for
information and interviews, and used this list to distribute updates on the districts response to the tragedy and its efforts to
help the community heal and return to normal. The media list is
used today to distribute information on how the schools students
and staff and the community are healing and moving forward.
r Analyzed media coverage daily throughout the crisis to evaluate
how Jeffco Public Schools messages were received and to assess
changes in media attitude and public perception.
Planning
The Jefferson County Public Schools Communications Services team
developed a crisis communication structure that established key duties and protocols in a crisis. This plan was adapted as a result of the
nature and magnitude of the Columbine High School tragedy and continues to be revised to reect lessons learned from this tragedy and its
aftermath.
Communications Objective. The overall public relations objective throughout the crisis was to quickly adjust the school district and
communitys position from one of response and reaction to one of
proactive control, enabling the team to aid in school and community
healing. To attain this objective the Jeffco Public Schools Communication Team:
r Provided on-site guidance and leadership to students and staff.
r Developed key communication vehicles to reassure parents and
the community.
r Strengthened proven strategies to propel those affected beyond

the crisis to learn and grow stronger.
r Communicated the school and districts point view with professional grace and insight.
r Reinforced the healing process while aiding in return-toeducation objectives.
r Cultivated a sense of triumph in the face of tragedy.
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While juggling demands from the news media at an unimaginable rate,

the driving force behind every decision and event remained the need
to help students and staff heal and return to the learning process as
quickly as possible.
Another objective was to demonstrate and emphasize the school
districts commitment to the emotional and physical needs of affected
staff, students, and the families of the murdered and injured students
and teacher.
Strategies.
r Implemented a crisis communications command structure. The
r
r
r
structure designated primary functions for managing the crisis,

including strategic communication counsel, internal and external
communication, media management, research and media monitoring, event management, and coordinating volunteers.
Created several methods for communicating with parents, students, employees, business and community leaders, political and
governmental ofcials, and the public and continually updated
those methods for efcacy.
Responded promptly and honestly to questions for information
and interviews from the media, and anticipated changes in news
cycles and demands.
Apprised daily all staff throughout the 89,000-student district of
the status of the investigation and recovery milestones.
Spoke with one clear voice and stayed on message as determined by the districts management team and developed by the
districts communications team.
Target Audiences. Parents, students, faculty and staff, media, state

and federal legislators, the Jefferson County community, and the residents of Colorado.
Budget. No organization can adequately budget for a crisis of
this magnitude; however, the estimated cost to the Communications
Services ofce is $150,000 in strategic planning counsel and assistance;
development of materials; research; telephone, computer, and fax lines;
cellular phone use expenses; duplication of materials; and postage.
Execution
The Jeffco Public Schools Team consisted of six professional and support staff when the tragedy struck, but received volunteer assistance
from members of the Colorado and National School Public Relations
209
Associations. We responded to more than 1,000 inquiries a day from

local, national, and international media outlets, for the rst 4 weeks
after the crisis, and continue to maintain contacts to update media
about recovery efforts. We coordinated the media efforts for the special rst day back to school event in August 1999, and are currently
planning to mark the anniversary on April 20, 2000, We also:
r Managed all communications, including twice-daily press confer-
r
r
r
ences and daily fact sheets and news releases, distributed throughout the state and nation. Drafted daily talking points for district
spokespeople.
Established one-on-one opportunities with local reporters to
interview key district personnel involved in the recovery efforts,
and to strengthen the relationships with local journalists who
would be here long after the national and international media
left.
Created weekly talking points for administrative staff at 143
other district schools to share with staff and parents.
Met daily with legal and administrative management teams to
formulate key messages and address emerging issues.
Created a community hotline designed to accept offers of monetary contributions and donations of materials and services from
around the world. In the rst 3 weeks after the crisis, we received
over 1,000 phone calls a day.
Assisted in the development of the Columbine Tribute Web Page,
and created a videotape showing the positive images of recovery
to replace the negative images that were repeatedly aired on local
and national media.
Coordinated special events, including two large memorial services, separate visits by President Bill Clinton and Vice-President
Al Gore, tours of the reconstructed school, and the Take Back
Our School rst day school assembly.
Developed a presentationThe Columbine Crisis: Managing
the Unthinkablefor school district ofcials, emergency responders, and law enforcement ofcers.
Evaluation
The school districts communications management team personnel did
their solemn, professional best in a difcult situation and emotional
environment. In the ongoing efforts, we continue to focus on our mission to help students, staff, and the community heal and recover, and
share the story of our efforts with all key audiences. Further examples
of how we continue to achieve our objectives are:
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r We always kept the feelings of the victims families in the fore-
front. Today many of our district leaders have personal relationships with families of the murdered and injured students and
teachers based on our work with them.
Target audiences read or saw Jeffco Public Schools messages in
more than 1,550 print stories (primarily local and large national
publications) and 450 broadcast stories. A database of all the
media coverage has been created, and currently encompasses 700
pages.
Public perception both locally and nationally was positive and
supportive of the districts crisis response, based on letters from
the President of the United States, private organizations, national
media, and community sentiment.
A strong working relationship was developed with the Jefferson
County Sheriffs Ofce, the Jefferson Center for Mental Health,
the Jeffco and Federal Emergency Management agencies, and the
FBI.
Hundreds of requests have been received from organizations for
crisis management training. Members of the districts communications and management teams have presented over 50 seminars and training sessions since August 1999. Organizations
requesting presentation/training include the FBI, Fidelity Investments, Los Angeles County law enforcement agencies and school
districts, and the American Association of School Administrators, to name a few.
A special Welcome Back-to-School event and picnic for all
staff was developed to celebrate the accomplishments of recovery.
Over 2,000 staff attended the event, which included the planting
of a tree and placement of a commemorative plaque on a large
boulder in memory of Dave Sanders, the only teacher killed in
the April tragedy.
Program renement based on media analysis and community
needs.
VACCINATING AGAINST MAD CORN DISEASE
An article in PRSAs TACTICS August 2001 issue details how two

public relations professionals handled a crisis situation of ominous
proportion.
Crises do not provide you with a timeline. They happen when you
are least prepared and most occupied with other matters. Crises do not
211
provide you with a comfort zone or a nite conclusion. What a crisis,

properly understood and handled, can provide you with, however, is
opportunity. The most well-known example of a crisis turned positive
is the deft handling of the Tylenol scare by Johnson & Johnson. The
most current case study is how Mission Foods dealt with unapproved
genetically modied (GM) corn found in its taco shells that led to the
largest food recall in U.S. history.
StarLink Aint Tuna
GM corn was rst produced in the early 1990s. For farmers, GM

corn helps eliminate the need for widespread spraying of pesticides
and also signicantly increases crop yieldhelping to keep corn prices
low and allowing the American farmer to feed the world. Every GM
corn variety is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and certied as safe for human consumption.
In 1998, a new kind of GM corn with a new kind of protein
was certied by the EPA for use as animal feed and for industrial
purposes. The genetically modied protein was called Cry9C, and
the new corn hybrid (developed by Aventis, a French company) was
named StarLink. The EPA approved StarLink for animals and industrial usagebut not for human consumption. The reason StarLink
was not approved for human consumption is that the Cry9C protein
acts as an insecticide, and all the required safety dataspecically,
whether StarLink might cause an allergic reaction in humanswas
not available.
As part of the EPA certication, Aventis and its distributors were
required to manage and monitor the StarLink harvest to ensure that
it went only to animal feed and industrial customers (i.e., for use as
ethanol). With this limited EPA approval, Aventis introduced StarLink
into the American market.
The Controversy Erupts
Friends of the Earth, an environmental activist group, held a press conference on September 18, 2000, and revealed that testing (conducted
for them by Genetic ID, a well-respected international genetics testing company), had detected the presence of StarLink in a wide variety
of products manufactured by Mission Foods, the largest producer of
Mexican food products in the United States.
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The press conference resulted in one of the largest food product

recalls in U.S. historyover 300 yellow corn products ranging from
taco chips to tortillas (StarLink is a yellow corn).
The impact of the recall was as traumatic to Mission Foods as it
was sweeping. Besides switching over to 100% white corn production and dealing with the many tactical issues involved in a massive
retail-level recall, lawsuits were led, sales began to sufferand the
media began to call. Merrie Spaeth, president of Spaeth Communications, and Peter J. Pitts, managing partner of Wired World (a strategic
marketing communications rm with expertise in crisis management)
were called in to develop and implement a crisis communications
plan.
First, Spaeth and Pitts developed an honest Q&A to detail what
Mission Foods knew and when did they know it. They advised that
being as open and honest as possible with the press was the only
credible strategy. Second, they wrote a position paper on the issue so
that the media would begin reporting on what should happenrather
than on what was happening. After all, the media reports what is made
available to them and, in the absence of new news, will continue to
report on what it already knows.
In the wake of a crisis, Spaeth and Pitts explained, the press is
looking for what is going to happen next. Mission Foods, by talking
about how to solve the problem, refocused the attention of the press
by positioning the company as the expert rather than the perpetrator.
Lastly, Spaeth and Pitts positioned the recall of all yellow corn products and the move to 100% white corn as the only responsible thing
to do.
Further, they urged Mission Foods to identify and speak directly
to the audiences most important to them: 1) their customers (food
retailers); 2) consumers; 3) government regulators; and, most importantly, 4) the thousands of Mission Foods employees nationwide. All
messages were crafted to have a positive impact on one or more of
these key constituencies.
Spaeth and Pitts developed the position that the recall was driven
by prudence. Since we cant be 100% sure we decided to be 100%
safe was the sound bite developed for Mission Foods and reported
widely in the national press.
Statements to the press (reported in news media ranging from The
New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, to NBC Nightly
News and National Public Radio) that Mission Foods is becoming a 100% white corn company until the government can guarantee
213
the safety of the national yellow corn supply helped move Mission
Foods to the White Hat position, the responsible industry leadera
position that Spaeth and Pitts then moved to reinforce and enhance.
On December 6, 2000, Mission Foods sponsored and participated
in The StarLink Summit, a public policy conference held by the
Hudson Institute, a leading national think tank with an international
reputation for its work in the eld of agricultural innovation. The
keynote address was delivered by Mission Foods CEO, Irwin Gordon.
Mission Foods was now dealing with its target audiences through the
media rather than having the media control the boundaries of the
conversation.
Without side-stepping the controversy, Gordon called for an open
and honest debate about the broader issues of biotechnology, rmer
and more coordinated government oversight, and the need to restore
public condence in the national food supply. His remarks (penned
by the Spaeth/Pitts team) calling for moderation and sound science
were widely reported by the national press and inside-the-Beltway
publications.
Result? Mission Foods was now rmly perceived as holding the
role of responsible leadera signicant turn-around from the earlier
days of the recall imbroglio.
Spaeth and Pitts also led a lobbying effort in Washington D.C.,
rst contacting the 15 Congressional Representatives with Mission
Foods factories in their districts, as well as members of the Agriculture
and Science committees. The Mission Foods message was as consistent as it was powerful: All parties must work together to solve the
problem.
Mission Foods acted swiftly and smartly, receiving kudos from unexpected places, such as Friends of the Earth, who said that Mission
Foods, moved quickly and thoroughly. The FDA declared that the
actions of Mission Foods were both responsible and prudent. And
customers voted with their pocketbookspositively. Mission Foods
is now regarded by its peers in the food industry as well as by advocates and regulators as the experts in dealing with the delicate issues of
bioengineered foodfrom labeling to responsible testing and quality
assurance programs.
In the meantime, in a bitterly negative counterpoint, Aventisthe
rm that developed StarLinkchose to stonewall the media throughout the crisis, earning the enmity of the press and government regulators. Top executives were red. Market share was lost. Industry
condence was eroded. Lawsuits began mounting.
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The guiding principle throughout the crisis was to behave in an

honorable and ethical manner. As Irwin Gordon said in his nationally covered speech, The ethical decision is always the best business
decision.
Hows business for Mission Foods? Its never been better, and approval for the rms ethical behavior is high among all of their target
constituencies. And, rather than having a divisive impact among employees, the crisis served as a positive experience, teaching colleagues
to work together and develop pride in their companys position.
For their counsel on the StarLink crisis, which could have had
an explosive impactbut was resolved by swift and decisive crisis
managementSpaeth and Pitts were awarded the 2001 Silver Spur
from the Texas Public Relations Association.
Peter J. Pitts is president of Indianapolis-based Wired World.
Merrie Spaeth is president of Dallas-based Spaeth Communications.
A SEMINAR FOR PROFESSIONALS ON CRISIS

COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY
James E. Lukaszewski is one of American public relations most

quoted and prolic authors/crisis communications management consultants. In March 2001, Lukaszewski conducted a 2-day seminar for
PR professionals sponsored by PRSA in New York on the subject Crisis Communication Strategy. Although newcomers to the industry will
not be required to take responsibility for crisis situations, it is nevertheless important to understand the implications, response strategies,
and practical applications of this vital component of PR practice.
Seminar Overview
Crisis means victims and explosive visibility. Bosses need trusted advisors who can offer focused, pragmatic, useful advice that helps them
deal with difcult situations strategically and immediately, while limiting collateral damage. Using powerful case examples, participants
will explore crisis communications management problems and strategies while immersed in the same management struggles, confusion,
dilemmas, and moral challenges managers face. Case studies involve
managing victims; reducing litigation; recovering reputation; healing
215
corporate wounds; dealing with organized opposition; selectively engaging the media; Web attack survival; and inuencing employee,
community, and public attitudes.
Seminar Outline
Dening crisis from managements perspective.

Establishing a crisis communication policy.
Setting priorities in crisis communication response.
Understanding the patterns crises always present.
Problem simulations:
Activist attack.
Web attack.
Local incident with national implications.
Product recall.
Workplace shooting.
Meeting with angry neighbors.
Organized professional anticorporate attack.
Criminal indictment.
Class action lawsuit.
Response strategies:
Containment.
Control.
Preemption.
Counteraction.
Practical application:
Avoiding the classic mistakes.
Indentifying the crisis management model that ts your organization.
Providing crucial counsel to senior management.
Dealing with the ethical dimensions of crisis.
THE MOST FREQUENT TYPES OF CRISES
A crisis such as the Columbine tragedy has deep emotional impact

and, for the students and their parents, a slow recovery. Yet there
are other crises, perhaps less grave for individuals, but of serious
consequence to corporations and other groups. We list a number of
examples:
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Aquisitions
Age discrimination
Alcohol abuse
Bankruptcies
Boycotts
Bribery
Contamination
Controversial legislation
Drug abuse, drug trafcking
Earthquakes or natural disasters
Economic espionage
Embezzlement
Explosions
Fatalities
Fires
Floods
Government investigations
Hostile takeovers
Hurricanes
Industrial accidents
Insider trading and corporate mismanagement
Kickbacks
Kidnapping
Labor/management strife
Lawsuits and legal challenges
Layoffs and plant closings
Mergers
Murders
Negative media reports
Negative or controversial legislation
Nuclear accident in an energy plant
Oil spills
Product failures, tampering, and recall
Protest demonstrations
Racial issues
Reduced earnings
Riots and civil unrest
Robbery
Sex discrimination and harassment
Suicides
217
Tax problems
Terrorism
Toxic waste
Transportation accidents or failures
Workplace violence
According to Bill Cantor in his book Experts in Action: Inside
Public Relations,1 the recent emergence of crisis management as a
recognized specialty eld within public relations suggests that crises
are occurring more frequently than in the past. He offered these reasons chiey responsible for the phenomenon:
r The technological revolution ushering in the age of instant communications.
r The resulting preeminence of the electronic media as the main
source of news for most of the industrialized world.
r Changes in the manner of news coverage, largely related to the
electronic medias insatiable demand for drama.
r The rise of citizen activist groups and coalitions that have stimulated public investigation of institutions and government regulation
of their activities and operations.
r Greatly increased access to the media by these activists organizations.
What Happens When Crisis Management Fails
Cantor listed some of the potential results of mismanaged emergencies

and crises:
r Long-term damage to the organizations reputation with resulting
loss of condence in its management by investors, customers, and
employees.
r Continuing employee morale deterioration, labor relations problems, and recruitment difculties.
r Adverse impact on stock prices and investor relations.
r Waste of management time and nancial resources by prolonged
preoccupation with crisis issues.
r Political intervention resulting in excessive government regulation,
increased scrutiny of other activities and operations, and punitive
actions.
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r Costly litigation (even if ultimately successful!).

r Involuntary bankruptcy or reorganization.
r Community relations problems.
Other Prominent Crises
Prominent crises we have witnessed in recent times include:

Bhopal, India, 1984: Thousands died from a gas leak in a Union
Carbide plant.
Chernobyl, 1986: The explosion of a nuclear reactor in the former Soviet Union, resulting in many deaths and the spread of
radiation throughout Europe.
Los Angeles, April 1992: The looting and arson following the
verdict on the Rodney King police brutality trial, causing the
deaths of more than 50 people and property loss of more than
$750 million.
World Trade Center, February 1993: A terrorist bombing that
killed 6 people and injured 1,000.
TWA Flight 800, July 1996: Plane crash off coast of Long Island,
New York, killing all 230 people on board.
Brown & Williamson Tobacco, 1999: Whistle-blower Jeffrey
Wigands expose, the 60 Minutes coverage, and The
Insider movie.
A CRISIS OF EPIC PROPORTIONS
On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker more than
three football elds in length, with a cargo of 11 million gallons of
crude oil, was headed from Prince William Sound in Alaska to Long
Beach, California, when it struck a reef and ran aground. The spill
would become the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history, killing
2 million animals in its aftermath.
Exxon Valdez created a public relations crisis of massive proportions. An investigation determined that the captain of the Exxon
Valdez was drunk at the time the ship hit the reef. Exxons CEO
used bad judgment in not taking charge and visiting the site of the
accident immediately.
219
The operators of the oil terminal in Alaska moved sluggishly in

dealing with the spill. Exxons ofcial response to the media was
criticized for not being forthright in addressing all the issues. Press
statements were contradictory, and, as a result, the companys reputation was tarnished. It would take years and billions of dollars
for Exxon to nally settle the case with the State of Alaska, Alaska
shermen, and other Alaskans. We recommend Kathleen Fearn-Bankss
book Crisis Communications: A Casebook Approach for consummate coverage of this momentous crisis.
DOW CORNINGS HARSH LESSON IN CRISIS MANAGEMENT
In 1992, Dow Corning was a $1.8-billion-a-year corporation whose

primary business was the development of space-age silicone materials for the aerospace and electronics industries. In total, the company made about 5,000 silicone products, one of which was a breast
implant.
Although it had been on the market since the 1970s, problems
didnt erupt till the 1990s when women who had the implant began
having medical problems cause by leakage of the silicone gel that had
seeped out of the implants envelopes.
When Dow Corning stonewalled the issue, and appeared inadequately concerned about the users complaints, lawsuits proliferated,
and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began its own investigation. What made things worse for Dow Corning was the release
of documents showing that it had known about the leakage for 20
years, but believed that it would not cause health problems.
And, of course, media and the investment community were well
aware that Dow Chemical, the parent company of Dow Corning,
had had similar predicaments with its Agent Orange, a defoliant that
caused serious health problems in Vietnam veterans.
Finally, in March 1992, Dow adopted a proactive stance. It appointed a new CEO who set up advisory groups of women who have
the implants, and considered that Dow Corning should pay for the
removal of the implants for women who couldnt afford it. Many
observers felt that the company moved too late for effective damage
control.
For further information on this case, the reader is directed to
the chapter Crises of Deception in The Crisis Manager by Otto
Lerbinger.2
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DEALING WITH CRISES
When confronted with disasters like these and others discussed in this
chapter, an organization must be prepared to institute crisis management practices. Part of that management consists of communications
with the media, stockholders, and the organizations various publics.
Companies and institutions with crisis communications programs
generally deal with crises as follows:
r A crisis communications team is identied.
r The crisis team assesses the situation.
r Spokespersons, usually people specically trained in this demanding function, are chosen.
r Key messages, such as We will provide the media with updated
information as soon as it is available, are identied.
r Communications methods are determined.
r The company rides out the storm.
The PR personnel on a crisis team may come from the organizations media relations staff, its PR counsel rm, or both. In a corporation, a select group of senior executives heads the team with the CEO
as the quarterback calling the signals. The rms top PR executive and
legal counsel serve as the CEOs chief advisors.
The CEOs seat is closest to the ames, and the CEO ultimately
must make the big decisions and then face the public, shareholders,
employees, customers, and the board of directors to explain the wisdom of those decisions. These actions become more signicant when
a company is facing a ravenous press.
Not all corporate crises involve accidents or disasters. A company
going into bankruptcy needs the good will and understanding of its
stakeholders if it hopes to survive.
Calling in the Big Guns
At the top 10 public relations rm Hill & Knowlton, crisis counselors

provide strategy, planning, and advice in crisis communications and
issues management in every U.S. ofce and around the globe. Because
the rm respects the condentiality of its clients, we cannot give actual
names, but offer the situations instead.
Hill & Knowltons work has included dealing with racial charges
against managers of a national restaurant chain and responding
221
to a Supreme Court decision on a landmark age discrimination

case.
The rm has helped a company involved in the largest inland oil
spill in U.S. history and the January 1994 oil spill off the coast of
Puerto Rico. And in another case, Hill & Knowlton counseled a
national clothing store chain responding to false shoplifting allegations against minority youth and store picketing by special-interest
groups.
In addition to typical crisis services such as reviewing relevant client preparation and communications procedures, Hill &
Knowlton presents a detailed plan to the client that will identify
likely crises and includes step-by-step procedures for handling possible scenarios.
One of the rms training and simulations services is The Virtual
Crises, a ready-made simulation for every company. This proprietary
CD-ROM-based crises exercise uses a sexual harassment scenario.
Hill & Knowlton crisis specialists challenge the participants on what
they decide to do and how they communicate it.
In addition to various media and Internet monitoring services, the
rm has a Rapid Response Web site. It is a dark Internet site
that downloads go live during a crisis situation and is designed
to centralize and control information ow, providing immediate, accurate, and comprehensive information. As the crisis unfolds, digital photos, streaming audio, or streaming video (as necessary) can
be added to ensure that the company can accurately and effectively
communicate.
Finally, Hill & Knowlton offers its 10 Rules Of The Road for
crisis situations:
r Rule One: Take ownershipits not the same as taking blame.
r Rule Two: Recognize the difference between bad publicity and a
crisis, then calibrate your response accordingly.
r Rule Three: Get the conrmed facts, and base your response only
on them. When possible, use research to help determine how to
respond.
r Rule Four: Recruit and use third parties to speak on your behalf.
r Rule Five: Treat the media as conduits, not enemies.
r Rule Six: Assume youll be sued.
r Rule Seven: Watch the Web as closely as the traditional media.
r Rule Eight: Demonstrate concern, care, and empathy.
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r Rule Nine: Take the rst 24 hours very, very seriously.

r Rule Ten: Begin your crisis management program now by building
your reputational assets.
THE ODWALLA APPLE JUICE RECALL
The handling of a massive and fatal product contamination in the

United States won the Silver Anvil Award in 1997 for Crisis Odwalla,
Inc., and Edelman Public Relations/San Francisco, a rm hired to handle crisis communications. Here is a transcript of the award citation.
Odwalla, Inc., Crisis Management
Crisis Odwalla, Inc., with Edelman Public Relations
Silver Anvil Awards 97 Category 11BCrisis
Communication
Overview
Late in the evening of October 30, 1996, health ofcials in Washington state alerted fresh juice maker Odwalla, Inc., that a link had
been discovered between E. coli 0157:H7 and several cases of Odwalla
fresh apple juice. Odwalla immediately recalled its apple juice and all
juice blends containing apple juice, amounting to 70% of its product line and affecting more than 4,600 retail accounts in seven states
and British Columbia. On October 31, Odwalla hired Edelman Public
Relations/San Francisco to handle crisis communications. Daily, proactive crisis communications continued through December 17, when
Odwalla made a presentation at an FDA hearing on the necessity of
mandating the pasteurization of apple juice. Odwalla remains a client
of Edelman Public Relations/SF.
Research
r The rst step taken was an extensive brieng on the incident and
the company from Odwalla management, revealing a company
that highly values health and nutrition. It became clear that managers and employees were devastated that a company that prides
itself on nourishing the body whole had caused illness.
r Edelman conducted an exhaustive audit of initial print, broadcast, and online coverage of the recall for tone and content, and
reviewed media coverage of a recent E. coli outbreak in apple
r
r
223
cider in New England. We learned that when E. coli jumped

from meat to juice, public fear and confusion mushroomed.
We reviewed all materials provided by the Seattle Department
of Health, reviewed research on E. coli, and were briefed by
Edelman/DC on past FDA actions regarding product recalls.
Previous Edelman crisis work was reviewed, including work done
by the San Francisco ofce on an E. coli contamination in dry
salami; reports and articles on high-prole contamination cases
were reviewed; and the agency was briefed on local market perceptions by Edelmans Denver afliate, Johnston Wells, and independent Seattle agency Elgin Syferd.
Internet chat rooms and newsgroups were monitored for discussion of the Odwalla situation, and we continuously reviewed
consumer calls to the Odwalla 800 number to help evaluate daily
consumer response to our messages.
We analyzed media coverage daily throughout the crisis to evaluate how Odwalla messages were received and to note changes
in media attitude. We also searched for and reviewed analyst
comments.
Quantitative telephone research was conducted two weeks into
the crisis and also in January 1997 to understand consumer response to company actions. Consumer attitude focus group research was conducted in December 1996.
Planning
The plan was developed in concert with Odwallas public relations and
marketing directors. It incorporated ndings from the research, as well
as the business and personal objectives of Odwallas management. The
plan was reviewed daily based on new developments.
Communication Objectives.
r Communicate the effective product recall and neutralize potential press criticism.
r Express the companys genuine sorrow that Odwalla products

caused serious illness.
r Communicate with and reassure trade partners and consumers

about the incident, product availability, the companys long-term
viability and Odwallas response and industry leadership.
r Protect Odwallas position in nancial markets to rebuild stock
value.
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Strategies
r Be honest and immediately responsive to all requests for information and interviews.
r Humanize Odwalla through its ofcers, values, and all communications.
r Focus on Odwallas responsible recall actions and changes made

to ensure safety.
r Establish a dialogue directly with consumers and nancial analysts.
r Establish Odwalla as the preeminent authority on fresh juice.

r Use product reintroductions and ongoing new product introductions to showcase company stability and future promise, and to
maintain dialogue with retail trade.
Target Audiences. Media, consumers, retail trade partners, employees, families of aficted persons, health departments, investment
community.
Materials and Resources Used. Newswires and press releases,
fax list database of reporters following the story, Website, online newsgroups, 800 number, in-store communication, retail trade partner information packets, employee and investor conference calls, express
clipping service, video monitoring recap reports, on-site media center,
and Internet monitoring of media coverage.
Budget. $90,000 Over 2 months: $75,000 in fees and S15,000 in
expenses.
Execution
Two agency teams, one in San Francisco and one at the companys Half
Moon Bay headquarters, managed the overall crisis response alongside
Odwallas public relations and marketing directors, and coordinated
activities in Denver and Seattle. The San Francisco team responded to
more than 200 media calls the rst day and maintained contact with
225 local and national broadcast and print reporters throughout the
crisis. We developed a media track response and interview information
request relay system; set up a daily interview schedule with executives;
prepared daily brieng kits for Odwalla senior management; developed
daily message points to respond to new developments; and prepped
executives. A media center was set up at Odwalla to monitor local
and national television and radio coverage. We coordinated the company chairmans trip to Denver and Seattle to visit media and affected
225
families, and immediately expressed company grief when a child in

Denver died. Edelman/SF also:
r Managed communications, including daily press releases, in

Odwallas seven-state territory.
r Created a Web site within 48 hours to allow Odwalla to commu-
r
r
r
r
r
r
r
r
r
nicate directly with consumers and receive feedback. We updated

the site daily; updated consumer, 800 number script daily or as
needed.
Created a news bureau on the Web site to advise media, expanded
site awareness with hyperlinks.
Prepared communications with Odwallas trade partners.
Kept employees informed via regular e-mail, and conducted telephone media training for employees in outer markets.
Held conference calls with the investment community.
Helped develop the Nourishment and Food Safety Advisory
Council made up of food safety and nutrition experts.
Prepped Odwalla to participate in a Seattle FDA press conference
on the contamination.
Set up a press conference for Odwallas CEO, chairman, and
council members to clarify initial FDA plant ndings.
Helped prepare Odwalla for presentation to the FDA on mandatory pasteurization.
Helped reintroduce recalled products as well as new products
throughout crisis.
Evaluation
Objective 1. Communicate the effective product recall and neutralize potential press criticism.
r Consumers read or saw Odwallas messages in more than 5,000
newspaper/magazine stories and 850 broadcast stories.
r Media coverage of the recall was neutral to positive in tone and

factual in content. Media praised Odwalla actions and intentions
via headlines, editorials, and third-party expert quotes.
r The web site informed approximately 50,000 visitors about the
recall, another 15,000 called the 800 number.
Objective 2. Express the companys genuine sorrow about illness.

r Numerous headlines expressed company griefOdwalla apologizes for outbreak.
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r The companys message of sorrow that its products had caused

serious illness was illustrated by praise from attorneys of affected
families. This company has done everything right, one attorney said in a television interview.
r Focus groups expressed heartfelt support and respect for
Odwallas responsible handling of the crisis.
Objective 3. Communicate with and reassure trade partners and

consumers about the incident, product availability, the companys longterm viability, and Odwallas response and industry leadership.
r Odwalla retained 80% of its accounts; lapsed accounts continue
r
r
to reactivate. Safeway, Odwallas largest account, supported

Odwallas decision to pasteurize apple juice; and while other unpasteurized apple juices were forced out of the stores, Odwallas
position was secure.
Calls to the 800 number jumped from an average of 30 a
week to more than 3,000 the rst week. The Web site received
19,000 hits in the rst 48 hours; approximately 50,000 hits by
January.
Odwalla has expanded its crisis site into a permanent presence
on the web.
An independent AOL survey showed that 86 percent of online
respondents supported Odwalla and would return as consumers.
Other surveys showed 94% of those polled were aware of the
E. coli outbreak; 96% of those aware approved of Odwallas
handling of the crisis.
FDA characterized E. coli in apple juice as an industry problem. Odwalla was asked by the FDA to make a presentation
at a December meeting on mandatory pasteurization, underscoring recognition of the company as an authority on fresh
juice.
Odwalla successfully reintroduced products after the recall, and
continues to introduce new products at a normal rate.
Objective 4. Protect Odwallas position in nancial markets to rebuild lost stock value.
r Financial markets responded to the communications effort; stock
price was $19 prior to the crisis, dropped to $9 immediately after,
and has risen to $13.
227
r Analysis commented positively to media about Odwalla actions

and company future.
One important element in this crisis management situation is that

even as early as November 1996, Edelman and Odwalla took full
advantage of the Internet to give reporters and consumers immediate
access to information about the recall. Although Odwalla did not have
a corporate or promotional Web site, the companys crisis-related site
was up and running within 48 hours.
Based on its experience in the Odwalla case, Edelman PR has developed an online response product that enables clients to establish
crisis preparedness sites on their Intranets. The PR company has even
developed an online version of the traditional crisis manual.
The online manual contains information about the crisis team, fact
sheets, mission statements, frequently asked questions, and various
scenarios. Edelman has its own domain name (www.enw.com) and
can instantly create a subdomain to host a clients site when crisis
strikes. With that technology, a crisis-specic Web site can be online
in a matter of hours.
One aspect of the Odwalla site that drew plaudits from the media
was the links it offered to other sites of interest, particularly to the
Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
Crisis sites are of great importance to the media, but are also benecial in taking the companys message to stakeholders such as vendors,
franchisees, customers, employees, and the investment community.
In a new media environment, information travels the globe in seconds, and the effect of a crisis is immediately felt in nancial markets.
Heres a hypothetical situation that will explain an important element of crisis management, the crisis dark site. A large nuclear power
installation has an accident in the middle of the night. The press nds
out about it immediately and contacts the power plants Web site.
Now if the installation has taken a proactive stance about such a crisis, it will already have prepared a crisis dark site template. Once
the facts of the accident are discovered, that information is plugged
into the Web site so the press can have immediate access.
Crisis communications and crisis management present great challenges to the public relations practitioner, particularly because these
situations constitute threats to corporations, organizations, governments, and governmental agencies. Each crisis requires its own set of
strategies and tactics.
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CHAPTER 17
FIGURE 17.1 Left/right and center: Restoring condence in Egyptian tourism;

counseling Odwalla, Inc., on an outbreak of E. coli with a program that now
serves as a model for crisis management, responsible action, fast response and
the use of Internet communications. (Courtesy Edelman Public Relations
Worldwide)
C H A P T E R 18
New Media
High-Tech Public
Relations
he headline in Advertising Age, September 25, 2000, was big

and bold: From the basement to the penthouse. The subheads for the piece were equally optimistic:
PRs new status: Thanks to high-tech and dot-com plays, public
relations is hitting heights as marketings power tool.
PR is in its golden age today. Youve got to be almost dead not to
be successful in PR today.
The article goes on to say, The era of digital communications
and the hype and buzz surrounding high-tech and dot-com companies have ushered public relations into the limelightso much so,
the industry believes, it can never again be considered the Rodney
Dangereld of marketing communications.1
High-tech PR today is not only about breaking news in The Wall
Street Journal with a story about a dot.coms prospectsits about
inuencing the consumer, the high-tech community, and the venture
capitalists, as well.
PR rms are riding the high-tech boom big-time. It is not uncommon for a top-line PR rm to charge its high-tech client a monthly
minimum fee of $30,000 to $50,000. Large tech companies also have
229
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formidable in-house departments to spread their PR message in conventional media and online.
HOW HIGH-TECH PUBLIC RELATIONS IS PRACTICED

AT THE TOP PR FIRMS
All the top rms we looked at in chapter 4 are deep into the practice
areas of high-tech. Lets look at examples.
Fleishman-Hillard
Fleishman-Hillard, the number one U.S rm, represents giant companies like Dell Computer. In 2000, Fleishman-Hillard won a Cipra
2000 award for client SBC Communications in the category of new
service introduction. That same year, the rm and SBC won a Silver
Anvil Award in the category of technology for the campaign Bringing
Broadband to the Masses . . . Pronto. The culmination of this effort
was a massive $6 billion Project Pronto initiative.
The project was eminently successful. In 1 year, SBCs DSL (digital
subscriber line) service had 169,000 subscribers.
Burson-Marsteller
Technology is one of Burson-Marstellers largest practices. Sun

Microsystems is one of its leading clients. The Java platform is Suns
programming language. Since 1996, once a year Sun sponsors a
JavaOne Developer Conference in San Francisco. The conference
draws luminaries, visionaries, and celebrities from around the globe,
as well as hundreds of media folk eager for interviews, briengs, and
questions about technology. And, oh yes, 25,000 people attend the
conference.
Burson-Marsteller account managers are responsible for media
training for spokespeople, the writing of press releases, orchestrating
press conferences, interviews, media luncheons, and panel discussions. In order to carry out these voluminous specialized media tools,
Burson-Marsteller people must understand the nuances of the technology presented at the conference.
NEW MEDIA HIGH-TECH PUBLIC RELATIONS
231
Shandwick International
Shandwick is one of the worlds largest PR groups working in the

technology sector. The rm has been a pioneer in the new media of
the Internet, interactive communication, and Web monitoring
services.
One Shandwick nuance is Brand Protection, which involves monitoring Web publications, chat forums, and sites to keep track of a
clients reputation on the Internet. Media relations for the rms clients
comprise Webcasts, virtual presentations, online press kits, and virtual press rooms.
This Interactive Marketing program includes site submission campaigns, search engine positioning, and must-see Web animations,
in addition to viral e-mail campaigns.
Shandwick Broadcast has innovated in the digitizing of video materials for use on an external or internal corporate site and using
digitized clips of video material for CD presentations.
Hill & Knowlton
More than 200 professionals make up Hill & Knowltons technology

practice. By 2000, the practices revenues reached more than $50
million. And, under the theory that in technology todays emerging
company can be next years hottest brand, H&K represents both ends
of the spectrum.
One H&K success story is E Trade, the leading online trading company. H&K operates its tech practice out of more than a dozen ofces worldwide. The practice also includes Silicon Valley-based Blanc
& Otus Public Relations, a leading technology brand and pioneer
in high-tech PR, and SocketPR, a high-tech information technology
and e-business PR rm with ofces in Atlanta and in Austin,
Texas.
Edelman PR
Edelman Global Technology Practice serves clients like NCR, AT&T,

Ericcson, Microsoft, and Apple Computer. At this writing, technology
represents more than 25% of Edelmans overall agency portfolio and
continues to expand.
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FIGURE 18.1 Left to Right: Launching Reect.com, an independent company

funded by Procter & Gamble, as the rst interactive, customized beauty service; securing global industry support for a new wireless communications
technology codenamed Blue Tooth, positioning NCR as a leader in professional hardware and software solutions. (Courtesy Edelman Public Relations
Worldwide)
Ketchum
Heres how Ketchum won a Silver Anvil 2000 award for its client Levi
Strauss & Company.
In 1998, during the Dark Ages of e-commerce, Levi Strauss took
the risk of launching the Levis Online Store. This was at a time of declining company sales, and when shopping online was still considered
risky.
To get back in with the in crowd, and to reposition Levis
as a hip brand, Ketchum created an in-teractive program to
expose (not sell) young consumers to the brand in a discreet, cool
way.
Armed with a weekly allowance and media training, three students
were featured in a branded, weekly MTV Real-World-esque Internet
show, showcasing their shopping sprees (Levis products included).
The Online Challenge worked. Trafc on Levi.com went from an
average of 3,000 visitors a day before the experiment to 130,000
visitors per day after the experiment. It was a prime example of how
Ketchum does technology business.
233
BSMG Worldwide
Monster.com is a pioneer in the online career category, although

dozens of direct competitors appeal to the same audience via the
Internet. BSMG helped to position Monster.com as a slightly irreverent but consistently innovative and potent change agent for individuals seeking career opportunities and growth.
BSMG raised Monster.coms prole; monitored the Web for feedback; engineered important site enhancements, directory and search
engine placements and critical link agreements. Add a few mega-dollar
Super Bowl commercials, and Monster.com was on its way as one
of the most well-known and successful brands to originate on the
Web.
BSMG also performs technology tricks for clients like HewlettPackard, Toshiba, and Unisys.
Porter Novelli Convergence Group
In January 2000, Copithorne & Bellows, the worlds foremost PR

agency focused on technology, merged with Porter Novelli International to form the San Francisco-based Porter Novelli Convergence
Group. The new entity had $50 million in annual revenues and more
than 500 employees worldwide. It is a model for technology public
relations that integrates all critical client services into a single global
service organization.
The Porter Novelli Convergence Group offers an excellent denition of convergence:
Convergence is the most powerful and evocative word that describes
the technology-driven changes revolutionizing every aspect of the way
business is done across the world. Convergenceof entertainment and
computing, of computers and communications, of analog and digital,
of traditional and new forms of media, and of different types of people,
societies, and organizationsis the driving force of the New Economy.
The World Wide Web and other technology changes are forcing virtually every organization to redene its business model and recongure its
means of interacting with customers, investors, employees, and other
important audiences. And this transformation is forcing companies
and their public relations rmsto change the way they develop and
deliver the messages they must communicate.
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Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
In 1998, Ogilvy acquired Alexander Communications, one of the

Silicon Valleys top tech PR rms, with ofces in San Francisco and
seven other cities. Alexander, renamed Alexander Ogilvy, focuses on
emerging and high-growth technology market segments such as
Internet tools and technologies, electronic commerce, and interactive
media and information appliances. Ogilvys technology practice includes such heavyweight clients as IBM, Automatic Data Processing,
and the global cellular phone provider Nokia.
Key Alexander Ogilvy clients are Nortel Elastic Network, NCR,
and major technology conference and trade-show organizers. Pam
Alexander, who founded Alexander, is one of the new digital entrepreneurs. She was featured as one of the E-gang in Forbes in its July
26, 1999, issue, and as one of the e 50 in Vanity Fairs coverage of
the Eestablishment in its May 2000 issue.
Golin/Harris
As do many large PR rms, Golin/Harris owns several other rms

that operate under different brand names. The MWW Group specializes in Internet and technology marketing. Mindstorm Communications services several e-business, telecommunications, and digital
entertainment clients. TSI Communications Worldwide offers an Internet Practice area through its ofces in New York, San Francisco,
and London.
What PR Firms Look For in New Hires
Alicia Fogelman Beyer is president of the ProMarc Agency, a

Washington, D.C.-based high-tech rm with 22 employees. In the
May 2000 issue of TACTICS, she discussed the hallmarks of a great
high-tech hire:2
r Missionaries for success. People who can work well with the top
executives of a startup company.
r Tightrope walkers. Staffers who have a high tolerance for risk, and
can get from one side of the tightrope to the other, knowing that
the wind could switch direction any minute.
r Complexity theorists. Those who are not afraid of a challenge say,
digital imaging technology.
235
r Big-picture generalists. Not techies, but instead employees who

excel at de-geeking the messageloving the client for its bottomline solutions, not just its technical proof points.
r Sponges for business, technology, and media knowledge. Outside
training at this rm is critical. ProMarc spends an average of
$10,000 per person per year on conferences, seminars, and other
forms of education, and even employs a dedicated director of media
intelligence and a director of business and technology intelligence.
Conferencing Techniques for Audio, Video, and the Internet
In the June 2000 issue of PRSAs TACTICS, Richard Weiner discussed

conferencing techniques, an increasingly important tool for PR professionals, particularly those in a high-tech practice.3
The largest category of conferences is still the audio conference.
A standard telephone or speaker phone is used. A typical meeting
involves six people and lasts for an hour.
Each participant is alerted to the time of the conference in advance.
A conference coordinator usually makes the arrangements with the
phone company, greets the participants, and handles instant polling,
if necessary, as well as other procedures.
Videoconferencing is still not widely popular, although it is used
for news conferences, seminars, stock analyst and sales meetings,
conventions, and other events. A recent development is desktop
videoconferencing, which is used for the transmission of charts, documents, and other stationary visuals.
Internet conferencing is the hot ticket today because it is the cheapest, fastest, and most exible type of meeting. With AT&Ts new online service, AT&T Click2Dial Conferencing, the conference can be
set up over the Internet, but then everyone talks to each other on their
regular telephone.
Learning Communities for Internet Professionals
The rapidly growing Internet universe has dramatically changed

public relations, thereby creating an ongoing need for an increase in
the knowledge and skills of its practitioners. These subjects and more
are tackled in the Internet Public Relations Discussion List (I-PR).
This free twice-weekly e-mail discussion list features news, tips, and
resources for developing and implementing successful Internet PR
campaigns. Topics covered in I-PR include:
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r PR strategy and implementation for the Internet.

r Online media relations.
r Internet PR tools and resources.
r Industry articles.
r News from major trade shows and seminars.
Many leading Internet public relations experts are members of the
I-PR community and are generous in sharing their knowledge with
others on the list.
Jobs at a Hot High-Tech PR Firm
Niehaus Ryan Wong has been around high-tech PR for a long time
by industry standardssince 1986. The company focuses on three interrelated market segments: people and technology, new commerce,
and e-business. NRW offers clients the added benet of specic expertise in the areas of broadcast PR, interactive communications, and
speaker placement through its bureaus:
NRW Broadcast Bureau
NRW Interactive Bureau
NRW Conference Strategies and Events Promotions Bureau
By specializing, the rm has gained depth in areas such as the
Internet, networking, electronic commerce, online communities, object software, enterprise client/server development, and collaborative
computing.
NRW has ofces in San Francisco, New York, and Austin, Texas.
At the time of this writing, the rm had 21 clients, of whom six were
dot.coms.
NRW is always looking for a few good men and women who know
both technology and consumer media and like to evangelize how our
clients are leveraging the Internet to change the way the world works
and lives. E-mail your resume to jobs@nrwpr.com.
NRW has a hip but practical new internship program. The rm
offers fast computers, free juice, and cool clients. Want to learn more?
Send an e-mail to internship@nrwpr.com.
Media Placement Tips for Online Media
The headline in the January 2001 issue of Media Relations Insider,

published by Bulldog Reporter, reads Pitching Online Media
Determine If Its a Land of Opportunity or a Waste of Time.4 The
237
article points out that there are now 6,000 news Web sites, and people are getting nearly a third of their news online. Internet users spent
more than 93 billion total minutes online in September 2000, and the
numbers are growing exponentially.
So is this a vast new market for media relations people? Maybe.
The Insider offered a few guidelines on which stories t best on the
Web:
1. If the story is aimed at Gen. X and Gen. Yers, pitch them online.
2. High-tech clients crave online exposure.
3. Online stories often nd their way on to traditional media.
4. Rejected print stories may make it online.
How heavy is online usage by those committed to the medium?

Media Matrix offered these online stats:
r By the end of 2000, more than 39 million people went online in an
average day.
r Users viewed an average of 50 different Web pages per user day.
r Each user spent an average of over 19 hours online in 1 month.
r Users averaged just over 1 minute per unique page.
What are the top news sites? MSNBC.com, CNN.com, Time.com,
NYTimes.com, and ABC News (various domain names).
The top business and nancial sites at this writing are Time.com,
Marketwatch.com, Quicken.com, Fool.com, and Onmoney.com.
C H A P T E R 19
Colleges, Extension
Programs, and
Summer Institutes
t the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, public relations students learn the basic PR skills of media relations and
the dozen or more practice areas of the trade. To improve their
visual literacy skills, students also take a corporate video communications class.
As we have already seen, PR professionals use video in many ways.
Companies use it for videoconferencing for executives, video news
releases for the media and the public, employees video newsletters,
and satellite news conferences.
Although some large corporations and PR rms prepare video services in-house, most use outside companies. But whether video is done
in-house or out, PR professionals need visual literacy and a total
comprehension of visual images in an active effort to determine and
create patterns.
At the University of North Carolina, most students at the School of
Journalism and Mass Communications get an introduction to visual
literacy through the schools basic graphic design course. They are
also exposed to the use of visual media to communicate to various
publics. Because the school didnt have the necessary equipment for
238
COLLEGES, EXTENSION PROGRAMS, SUMMER INSTITUTES
239
advanced video training, Professor Dulcie Murdock Straughan and

her colleagues came up with an innovative solution to the issue. Her
department worked out a cooperative arrangement with an area company that had a large corporate video department. The course was
taught by two journalism school professors and the head of the company corporate video department. The companys facilities and some
of its staff members were made available to the students in the class.
So that there was no commercial benet in the student training program, pro bono community public service projects were produced.
By the fth week, students had learned how a video was put together from the problem-solving stage, to developing a concept,
writing a script, blocking the shots, working with camera and sound
people, doing a rough edit, and overseeing the nal edit of the project
lm. The program was so successful, it became a regular part of the
schools curriculum.
We discuss this teaching experience as an example of how college
mass communications programs are meeting the needs of students in
the rapidly developing discipline and profession of public relations.
Public relations is todays media favorite in the whole sphere of
mass communications. Thats why many colleges that formerly
grouped PR with advertising are now offering public relations as its
own major.
As we noted in chapter 4, large advertising agency organizations
have purchased PR rms because public relations is getting the
communications job done more efciently and more effectively than
advertising.
HOW COLLEGES SPECIALIZE THEIR PUBLIC

RELATIONS PROGRAMS
In August 2000, I attended the 83rd annual convention of the

Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.
This convention brings together hundreds of academic professionals
in the public relations discipline. Here are some of the subjects of
sessions conducted at this convention. They indicate the scope and
sophistication of todays public relations education.
r Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk: Advancing Measurement in Public
Relations.
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r Making Health Communications Meaningful for Women: Factors

That Inuence Involvement and the Situational Theory of Publics.
r Web Site and Database Pitfalls.
r An Exploration of Integration of the Public Relations Function in
International Business Operations.
r The Postmodern Public Relations Practitioner as Organizational
Activist.
r Check Out Our Web Site at . . . The Public Relations Content Characteristics of Fortune 500 Companies.
r Use of World Wide Web Sites as Marketing and Promotion Tools:
A Pilot Study.
r Ethics in a Crisis.
r Lockdown on Learning: Public Relations and Media Response to
School Violence.
r Ego Involvement and Practitioners Attitudes Toward Integrated
Marketing Communication.
Postgraduate Education and Training
If public relations was not your major in college, you can still take
evening or summer courses at a number of colleges. Here are two ne
programs.
New York Universitys Summer Institute in PR. New York is the nations media communications capital. If you can afford about $4,000
plus living expenses, we recommend NYUs summer PR program,
held each June.
The summer institute has a faculty of 15 to 20 leading industry
professionals who bring their expertise to play in the 3-week program.
This faculty is drawn from the evening certicate program in PR at the
Management Institute of NYUs School of Continuing Education, another ne training source. In addition, many special guests are invited
to speak, conduct workshops, and act as panelists and judges.
The summer institute is a total immersion program with daily lectures, demonstrations, eld trips, practice, and feedback that guide
the students through the history, theory, and techniques of public
relations. Students prepare news releases and use other tools. They
make eld trips to PR agencies, corporations, and video production
facilities. The general approach is to learn by doing.
Classes meet Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays are reserved for independent team project review and planning.
COLLEGES, EXTENSION PROGRAMS, SUMMER INSTITUTES
241
Several evenings are scheduled for team assignments, guest speakers,

and social events.
In the program students learn how to write press releases and proposals, conduct research, plan press conferences and events, and work
with print and electronic media.
The staff also helps students with career planning, resume writing,
interviewing techniques, and portfolio development.
The program is limited to only 30 people. For information, call
the institutes ofce at (212)790-3212 or write to: New York University, School of Continuing Education, Management Institute, 11 West
42nd Street, Room 401, New York, NY 10036. The programs
e-mail address is rlh1@is2.nyu.edu. The Web site is www.scps.nyu.
edu/summer.
UCLAs PR Program. The University of California at Los Angeles
(UCLA) conducts a comprehensive course of study for students, working professionals, and those in entertainment, corporate, nonprot,
and other organizations for which public relations plays an important role. Students may take three kinds of certicate programs in
public relations: public relations (general), public relations with entertainment publicity concentration, and public relations with nonprot
public relations concentration.
Within these three concentration there are more than 25 individual
courses, including such specialized subjects as:
Sports public relations
Political fund raising and public relations
Publicity in the music industry
Publicity for the entertainment industry (lm and television)
Public relations for nonprot organizations
Reputation and crisis management
Most courses are taught evenings by working professionals.
Contact UCLA Extension at (310)825-0641 or e-mail at jrprfr@
uclaextension.org.
Graduate Programs in PR
Many ne graduate programs in public relations are conducted by

colleges and universities. Ten colleges grant a doctorate in PR. About
25 offer masters degrees in this discipline. Among those rated best are
the University of Maryland, Michigan State University, the University
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CHAPTER 19
of Florida, San Diego State University, Boston University, San Jose

(California) State University, the University of Texas, Syracuse
University, Northwestern University, Ohio State University, and the
University of Georgia.
Preparing for a Job Public Relations
According to a survey of prospective employers on the West Coast

conducted by Dr. Dennis Wilcox of San Jose State University, the
ideal applicant for a PR job has:1
r A 4-year undergraduate degree.
r Experience with courses in news writing, business, and the social
sciences.
r An outstanding personality and a willingness to work.
r The ability to write well.
r Work experience in a related eld.
C H A P T E R 20
The Alphabet
Organizations of
Public Relations
n this chapter we discuss a number of professional organizations that may be helpful to newcomers seeking employment,
information, training programs, internships, and professional
development.
PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OF AMERICA (PRSA)
Way back in 1947, when the PRSA was rst chartered, corporate
public relations was in its infancy. At that time there were no large
PR counsel rms, only a few colleges had courses in the subject, and
most people who worked in this eld were called press agents.
The PRSA, headquartered in New York City, is the leading professional organization for PR practitioners, with more than 20,000
members in more than 100 chapters throughout the United States.
The principal service of the PRSA to its members is to increase their
opportunities in the eld through professional development, communications, networking, and peer recognition programs.
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Lets look next at some of the PRSAs services and professional

development programs.
Public Relations World Congress
This annual event offers PRSA members an opportunity to interact

with public relations professionals worldwide and to share knowledge
and network.
Members can participate in dozens of seminars, professional interest section programs, general sessions, roundtable discussions, and
professional development workshops. Here are highlights of some
of the seminar subjects from Public Relations World Congress 2000
cosponsored by PRSA and the International Public Relations Association (IPRA):
r New Rules in High Tech PRHow to Build a Public Relations
Program that Rocks.
r Writing That Sells . . . Products, Organization, Ideas.
r Navigating Your Career in a Dot.com World.
r Integrating Public Relations into the Marketing Mix.
r Crisis Communications in Internet Time.
r How to Get a Raise.
It is interesting to note the diversied background and afliations of
PRSA members and lecturers at the Public Relations World Congress
2000. Some examples include:
E. Ronald Culp, Senior Vice-President Public Relations &
Government, Sears Roebuck and Company.
John Edelman, Global DirectorHuman Resources, Edelman
Public Relations Worldwide.
Susan Nathanson, PhD, Executive Director, National Breast
Cancer Organization.
Robert Grupp, Director Corporate Communications, Eli Lilly
and Company.
James Grunig, PhD, Professor Department of Communications,
University of Maryland.
Patricia Rose, Chair, Department of Advertising and Public
Relations, Florida International University.
In addition to PRSAs World Congress, the organization conducts
seasonal seminars. For winter 2001, there were six 1- or 2-day
THE ALPHABET ORGANIZATIONS OF PR
245
seminars, held in New York, San Francisco (two), Atlanta, San Diego,
and Dallas. These seminars dealt with a single subject, such as strategic
public relations planning, writing that sells . . . products, services, and
ideas, and crisis communication strategy.
Home Study Conference Courses
Top-quality home study courses have been developed from sold-out

PRSA seminars to provide comprehensive skill development and guidance from personal instructors.
Audio and Video Libraries
Speeches, presentations, and other training tools are available to members. In addition to material on practice areas, subjects like creativity
and public relations law are also covered.
Publications for Members
PRSA publishes STRATEGIST quarterly and TACTICS monthly, both

of which are covered in chapter 21.
The Blue Book is a listing of PRSA members.
The Green Book is a guide to public relations service organizations.
The Red Book is a directory of the PRSA Counselors Academy,
cross-referenced by geography, practices, and industry.
Member Job Search Assistance
A bimonthly newsletter lists available positions at or above $35,000

a year. Members can subscribe to it at a discount.
PR Power is a source for temporary positions. The Web site,
www.prsa.org, serves as an online career reading room, classied job
list, and links to related public relations resources. Members can post
their resumes under specic job titles or practice areas.
PRSA Professional Practice Center
PRSA maintains a research information center that can be reached

online or by fax-on-demand, which furnishes up-to-date industry
trends, research fundings, and other resource material.
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Professional Interest Sections
Sixteen professional interest sections conduct seminars, workshops,

and conferences. They provide newsletters, Web sites, listservs, and
monographs for members professional use.
Awards and Recognition
Throughout the book we have noted various winners of PRSAs prestigious Silver Anvil Award and Gold Anvil Award. The Silver Anvil is
PRs equivalent of the Academy Awards. It is issued annually to practitioners for excellence in PR programs in the judgment of their peers.
The Bronze Anvil recognizes outstanding public relations tactics,
and the individual components of programs or campaigns.
PRSA also awards the Gold Anvil to an individual for his or her
accomplishments to the profession and grants an award to an outstanding educator and to a member for public service achievement.
PRSAs Nationwide Network of Chapters
Members dont have to come to New York for PRSA meetings. They
can attend them at a convenient local chapter. The individual chapters
conduct seminars, special events, and search services.
Accredited in Public RelationsAPR
Members who have demonstrated knowledge, experience, and judgment in planning and managing public relations activities are
eligible for this voluntary certication program. By 2001, more than
5,000 public relations professionals had achieved the APR designation, and over 400 qualied members take the examination each
year.
The Public Relations Student Society (PRSSA)
PRSSA has 6,500 members in 220 chapters on college campuses across

the country. PRSA members often interact with their local PRSSA
chapters by volunteering to be professional advisors, mentors, or guest
speakers at events. Members also help support scholarship programs
and give nancial assistance for students to attend the International
Conference cosponsored by PRSA and IPRA.
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FIGURE 20.1 Winning the Oscar of the PR industry, the Silver Anvil, is a
democratic process honoring not only the big guys with megadollar campaigns, but also smaller companies with modest budgets. (Courtesy PRSAs THE
STRATEGIST )
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BUSINESS

COMMUNICATORS (IABC)
IABC members almost never use the words public relations. In the
organizations literature and publications, members are referred to as
communicators who are engaged in strategic business communications management.
The role of IABC is somewhat similar to that of PRSA, dealing
with communication that is strategic, interactive, integrated, and
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CHAPTER 20
international. Members in 55 countries are employed by large and

small corporations, foundations, educational institutions, dot.coms,
and, yes, even the same PR counsel rms described in chapter 4.
Here are some of the things IABC does:
r Operates a knowledge center dispensing expert advice, step-by-step
instruction, case studies, and proven models that members can tailor to their own needs.
r Supports the IABC Research Foundation as a research and development arm for new ndings, knowledge, and understanding of the
profession.
r Conducts an international conference bringing together communicators from around the world.
r Publishes Communication World, a magazine with editorial features on research, technology, trends, and interviews.
r Maintains CW Online, a members-only interactive resource on
IABCs Web page with industry news briefs and tips and current
and archived articles.
r Conducts IABC seminars and district/regional conferences.
r Gives Gold Quill Awards for excellence in communications.
r Accredits member recognition with an ABC (Accredited Business
Communicator).
r Publishes a career planning workbook and holds career-related
workshopsalso available online.
r Supports various recognition and award programs.
r Organizes student chapters at colleges and universities throughout
the United States and Canada.
IABC/PRSA Compensation Survey
The IABC and PRSA jointly published Prole 2000, a survey of the
profession that presented an overview of job satisfaction, workplace
trends, and roles and responsibilities of those employed in this eld. It
also included the salary and compensation of the 40,000 professionals
represented by the two organizations.
Here are some of the highlights of the survey:
r The average annual base salary for communicators in the United
States is $72,000.
249
r Its higher in New England ($96,000) than in the South Atlantic,

East Central, and Mountain regions. But its highest in the MidAtlantic ($113,000).
r Consultants salaries are signicantly greater than those with a corporate position ($110,000 vs. $63,000).
r If you have vice-president in your title, your average salary is
$149,000.
r A senior account executive at a PR counsel rm averages $36,000.
Its much higher in New York.
r You wont get rich in academe. The average professor who teaches
public relations or communications makes $52,000 a year.
r Finance and banking communications people average $82,000,
while medical/health care is $79,500 and cultural/travel/tourism
is only $48,000.
r Women in communications still earn less than men. If youre an
Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) or Accredited Public
Relations (APR) professional designated by PRSA, the average male
makes $89,500 and the average female $82,500. Nonaccredited
males average $88,000 and females drop to $56,500.
These are not huge salaries overall; however, they do match those
in advertising and other areas of mass communication. The average
bonus for communicators in the joint ABC/PRSA study is $10,000.
THE COUNCIL OF PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRMS
The Council of Public Relations Firms membership is made up of

122 PR rms, including all the top 10 and 65% of the top 50 rms.
Its mission is to build the business of public relations by advocating
to business professionals the value of public relations as a strategic
business tool, promoting the benets of careers in public relations
to prospective employees, and assisting members and their clients in
setting the standards for the profession.
The council divides its role into three programs.
Business Programs
r Works with an advisory board of clients to identify strategic research that it will fund.
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CHAPTER 20
FIGURE 20.2 The Councils valuable booklet on jobs in the industry.
r Promotes the strategic value of PR to business executives and students and professors in MBA programs.
r Assesses seven reputation management systems that members will
follow in their reputation programs.
r Commissions commercial research to develop a methodology
for predicting and measuring the outcomes of public relations
programs.
251
r Conducts annual review of corporate communications spending

at Fortune 500 companies, and correlates this information with
Fortunes Most Admired Companies list.
r Helps companies streamline the process of PR agency selection.
Talent Programs
r Recruits at top liberal arts and minority colleges and holds career
fairs. Develops internship programs for member rms.
r Develops a curriculum for universities to use in courses that prepare
students to work in agencies.
r Produces workbooks, recruiting publications, and seminars that
enable members to learn best practices for successful recruiting.
Management Programs
r Conducts an annual Industry Documentation and Ranking of Public Relations rms by size, location, and specialty. Publishes a comprehensive report, The Impact of the Internet on Public Relations
and Business Communications, as a guide for member rms in
developing innovative sources and making strategic and nancial
decisions for the New Economy.
r Publishes M & A Reports as an insight to acquisition strategies,
motivations of sellers, and post-merger lessons learned.
r Develops Benchmarking Surveys to assist members in improving
their businesses.
r Makes Business Consulting Services available free or at reduced
rates for members. A consultants corner is provided on the
Councils Web site.
CAREER TIP
og on to the Council of Public Relations Firms Web site,
L www.prrms.org/student, for its Career Resources section. In it youll

nd such links as:
Find a Firma database to help you identify potential employers

who meet your specic needs.
Post Your Resumeedit or delete it.
PR Career Informationarticles and publications produced by the
council, as well as relevant resources to build a career.
Public relations job sites and recruiting assessment tools.
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THE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS
Formerly known as the Foundation for Public Relations Research

and Education, the Institute for Public Relations engages in a comprehensive program of publications, lectures, awards, symposia, and
professional development forums to promote and encourage academic and professional excellence.
The institute has supported more than 200 separate research projects covering everything from what PR students should study to an
analysis of how new technologies are affecting the profession.
The institute also produces practice-oriented programs and publications on the effectiveness of public relations in prot-making and
nonprot institutions.
The institute offers awards and competitions as incentives for
students and scholars to build the body of knowledge in the eld.
INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSOCIATION (IPRA)
Founded in 1955, IPRA today has more than 1,000 individual members in more than sixty countries worldwide.
IPRA publishes a number of publications and is involved in organizing professional development seminars.
The group works closely with the United Nations on such projects
as Cartoonists Against Drug Abuse. IPRA is also active in environmental issues, sponsoring programs like the project to arrest the
degradation undermining the Alpine ecosystem.
ASSOCIATION FOR EDUCATION IN JOURNALISM

AND MASS COMMUNICATIONS (AEJMC)
The AEJMC is a national organization of colleges and departments

offering undergraduate and/or graduate programs in journalism and
mass communication. Public relations is one of the divisions of the
AEJMC; the others are newspaper, magazine, advertising, radio
television, and mass communications. Each division has its own publication and maintains contact with its own membership during the
year.
Once a year, in August, the AEJMC holds its annual convention,
in a different city each year. At the convention, members conduct
253
presentations and hold workshop sessions relating to their specialization. In addition, the convention offers an opportunity for the individual divisions to hold business meetings on subjects of related
interest.
Some typical presentation subjects from the 2000 convention are:
Teledemocracy in the Age of the Internet.
Newspaper Closings: Smart Business or Corporate Irresponsibility.
Images and Portrayals in Magazines.
Overcoming the Excuses: How to Make Newsrooms and Classrooms as Diverse as America.
Preparing Public Relations and Advertising Students for the
21st Century.
C H A P T E R 21
Important
Publications,
Web Sites, and
News Services
PUBLICATIONS
any excellent magazines and dozens of ne newsletters cover

every facet of the burgeoning eld of public relations. Some
of these publications are available by subscription or may
be found in university libraries. We discuss a number of them here.
Public Relations TACTICS
Published by PRSA, TACTICS is a monthly four-color newspaper focused on PR strategies. TACTICS primary role is to help professionals
do their job better with the latest news, trends, and how-to information ranging from the newest PR applications in technology to the
most current PR research.
Top of the News is a regular feature in TACTICS. Typically, this
page-one column delivers an in-depth examination of a widely publicized public relations crisis or issue. The section combines case studies,
how-to information, and analysis that puts the issue in perspective.
Recent articles from TACTICS include the following:
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PUBLICATIONS, WEB SITES, NEWS SERVICES
255
FIGURE 21.1 TACTICS.
Survivors! PR Pros Share the Ups and Downs of Their Wild

Ride in Dot.Com Land. Employees told of long hours, perks, and
promises unfullled. One comment from this article: Management
would say, Were going to get X million dollars on this date, and it
never happened.
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Total RecallExamining the Top PR stories of 2000. What were

some of the top stories?
r Bridgestone/Firestone and FordA Troubled Road.
r Elian GonzalezBoy in a Bind.
r Airline WoesFly the Unfriendly Skies.
r The Emulex HexNewswires Under Scrutiny.
r Harry Potter and the Goblet of FirePromotional Wizardry.
r John Rocker [baseball pitcher]: Screwball?
r Dot.Com CrashHere Today, Gone Tomorrow.
TACTICS also features Trendwatch, a section of industry news and
trends; Talk From the Top, an insiders take on the issues facing
business today; Ask the Professor, a Q&A column on job-related
questions; and Hands On, how-to columns on improving tactical
skills.
Public Relations STRATEGIST
This slick, quarterly PRSA publication is geared particularly to the

issues facing senior management and public relations executives in
business, government, and the nonprot sector. Edited by author and
industry leader Fraser Seitel, STRATEGIST contains well-reasoned
debate and insightful commentary concerning the most demanding
PR issues.
Highlights from recent issues are:
Going to the Mat with the Peoples Governor (Jesse that is).
The New Reality for . . . Serving Public Relations Clients.
Avoiding the Media At All Costs, Keeping the Media Satised.
Integrating Communications on Internet Time.
The Future of Public Relations Is On the Internet.
Getting Along With Lawyers: A Primer for Public Relations.
One recent article in STRATEGIST was an interview with Murray
H. Bring and Steven C. Parrish, top external affairs and corporate
affairs ofcials at the Philip Morris Companies, the worlds largest
tobacco company. In the article they frankly discussed the issues the
company faces in litigation, strategy, a hostile press, and the large
amount of money the company gives away each year, a sum critics
maintain is an attempt to balance guilt at selling cigarettes.
FIGURE 21.2 STRATEGIST.
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Bulldog Reporter
Published semimonthly, with an eastern and a western edition,

BULLDOG REPORTER is the media placement newsletter for professionals. It keeps track of editorial assignments so that media
pitchers dont waste time with the wrong catchers. And it also tells
PR people what kinds of stories various media are looking for.
It helps, for example, to know that a particular senior writer at the
magazine Fast Company looks for stories like the one she did about
multitasking. In it, she interviewed a renowned juggler, who spoke
about keeping all the balls in the air.
BULLDOG REPORTER even tells PR people how to pronounce
difcult sounding names, such as the Associated Presss Tom Kirchofer
(pronounced ker cha fur), a technology and Internet reporter.
Lifestyle Media Relations Reporter
Lifestyle is a publication of the Infocom Group, publishers of

BULLDOG REPORTER. Its editorial focus is insider reports on PR
placement in consumer media. Lifestyle writes about job shifts in the
media business, but also goes into depth about an important magazine
editor or a broadcast producers news needs.
For example, one recent issue of Lifestyle carried the head, Wow
Wallace with News, Trends for The Early Show.
Alex Wallace is the senior broadcast producer of the 3-millionviewers-audience CBS program The Early Show. Lifestyle dispenses
tips on how to break Ms. Wallaces show:
Pitch her early, on stories that are pegged to breaking news or a
current trend. Example: If theres something breakingsay theres
a bombing somewhere and you have a terrorism experte-mail me
that day.
Or, Wallace loves human interest stories, which, for her, are pieces
that put a human face on a current trend, tragedy, or major news peg.
If, for example, youre pitching the growing problem of diabetes
in children, give me the story of Fred Smith, a ten-year-old boy with
diabetes, Wallace suggests hypothetically. Give us a reason to cover
a trend. Give us a human peg.
PR Agency Insider
In January 2000, Infocom Group launched the monthly PR AGENCY

INSIDER. Here, the editorial focus is on PR agencies, or counsel
rms, as we have referred to them. The publications subhead is
259
FIGURE 21.3 BULLDOG REPORTER.
Whats New and Whats Working For Growing Agencies, and its
page-one Contents section denes its thrust:
r Idea Bank: Brain Bang for Creative Ideas.
r Retention Tip: Targeted Perks.
r Management: Keep Clients When AEs Leave.
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FIGURE 21.4 Lifestyle Media Relations Reporter.
FIGURE 21.5 PR AGENCY INSIDER.
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r Stafng: Use Celebrations to Build Team Spirit.

r New Business: Keep Nonprots in Line.
r Money: Divvying Up Prots With Employees.
r Bonus: Get Tech Savvy by Taking Quiz.
Infocom began publication of MEDIA RELATIONS INSIDER
in January 2001 as a monthly dedicated to whats new and whats
working to increase your media coverage. It offers tips, news, and
views for media relations professionals with articles such as these:
r Pitching Online MediaDetermine If Its a Land of Opportunity
or a Waste of Time.
r Experts Tell How to Respond When Your Company is Caught RedHanded.
r The Nuts and Bolts of VNR Packages.
r PR Pros We LoveJournalists Reveal the Qualities They Most
Respect.
All of Infocoms publications are practical, factual, and totally devoted to their mission of improving the skills and techniques of media
relations people.
Bulldog Reporter publishes a National PR Pitch Book, which contains pitching tips, proles, and contact data on more than 40,000
journalists from the nations leading media.
You can search BULLDOG REPORTER, Lifestyle, MEDIA
RELATIONS INSIDER, and PR AGENCY INSIDER at www.
infocomgroup.com.
PRWeek
Long established in the United Kingdom, PRWeek divides editorial

coverage into three areas: market focus or regional report, technique,
and media.
The publication often adopts the light touch. A major feature of
the February 19, 2001, issue was the Top Ten Most Eligible Men
and Women in PR, and the following weeks edition covered Fake
Showbiz Relationships.
COMMUNICATION WORLD
COMMUNICATION WORLD is published six times a year by the

IABC. Its editorial thrust is to provide information about the
FIGURE 21.6 MEDIA RELATIONS INSIDER.
263
FIGURE 21.7 PRWEEK.
265
FIGURE 21.8 COMMUNICATION WORLD.
profession of organizational communication and news of IABC, its

members, chapters, and activities.
One recent article was titled Getting It, the Making of a Dotcomer. A lamentable accompanying piece was headed Downfall of
a Dot-comer.
Another article in the same issue, The Annual Report Isnt What
It Used to Be, afforded practical tips on producing the report, while
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CHAPTER 21
another informational article, Gather the GURUS, Then Get Them

Into Global Teleconferencing, discussed the near future of this Internet convergence.
PR Reporter
PR Reporter, a weekly newsletter, covers public relations, public affairs, and communication strategies. A highlight of PR Reporters
editorial concept is its in-depth case studies in which the editors interpret a situation and the strategy chosen, the tactics employed, and
the results of a PR campaign.
A recent feature, Earning Public Relations a Seat at the Boardroom
Table, had tips for gaining this important access. One was dont
wait to be asked, two, know what keeps the CEO up at night, and
three, get involved in the companys policy-making process. Reach
PR Reporter at www.prpublishing.com
Ragan Communications
Ragan publishes more than 16 targeted newsletters in the areas of

employee communications, Web PR, organizational writing and editing, sales and marketing, media relations, motivational management,
and investor relations.
In addition to these services, Ragan produces several communications conferences, workshops, and senior-level forums throughout the
United States. Ragans Web address: www.ragan.com
INTERNET SERVICES AND RESOURCES TO BOOST

PUBLIC RELATIONS CREATIVITY
PR professionals use dozens of Internet tools and services to move

their messages to media sources. We discuss a number of them
here:
PR Newswire (www.prnewswire.com)
PR Newswire (PRN) is the leader in the electronic delivery of news

releases and information directly from companies, institutions and
267
agencies to the media, nancial community, and consumers. Lets look

at some PRN services.
Tyson Foods is the worlds largest fully integrated producer, processor, and marketer of chicken and poultry-based food products.
PRN conducted a conference call on the Web (CCOW) to announce
Tysons fourth quarter nancial results.
When Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan addressed the
American Council of Life Insurance, PRN Webcast the speech via live
streaming video on the Internet in real time.
PRN Video takes clients commercials, B-roll, movie footage,
trailers, or company background footage and delivers them on the
Internet.
Among PRNs numerous targeted products and services are:
Newslines
Photo services
Fax services
Multimedia services
Broadcast services
Information services
Database services
Small business tools
Journalist proles
Agency links
Tracking Media
Many services track media coverage. Started as clipping bureaus, these

services sent clients clips of articles that appeared in a newspaper
or magazine.
As media became more advanced and included broadcast and other
outlets, a need developed for electronic clipping services to track the
dissemination of this information. One such rm, Burrelles Information Services (www.burrelles.com), monitors electronic newspapers
and magazines; broadcast networks, both TV and radio; specialized
cable networks; and news and wire services such as the Associated
Press.
Burrelles NewsAlert is a combination of technology and editing
expertise, delivering custom-ltered stories daily from thousands of
online publications. It also tracks network news broadcasts, Web
pages, news groups, and chat rooms.
With NewsAlert, Burrelles is able to search for all mentions of
a company and its products or services, monitor competitors, keep
tabs on public opinion and the organizations reputation, and monitor
crisis situations.
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Luce Online (www.luceonline.com)
Luce is an automatic, electronic news clipping service provider delivering up-to-the-minute stories from more than 7,000 print publications, newspapers, wire services, magazines, trade publications, and
Internet/online newsites.
Lexis-Nexis (www.lexisnexis.com)
The Lexis-Nexis research service contains more than 1 trillion characters and 1.4 billion documents in more than 8,692 databases. It
adds 4.6 million documents each week. Lexis-Nexis is an electronic
clipping service that offers database research that may be accessed via
computer.
PR Infonder (www.prsa.org/ppc)
PR Infonder navigates quickly and easily to high-value public relations and marketing information, services, and resources. Built-in
content analyzer, relevancy ranking, and summary features eliminate
wasted time.
Online Public Relations (www.online-pr.com)
This is an easy to navigate online catalog of public relations, media

and marketing sources.
PRPlace (www.prplace.com)
This site features a free guide to 700 major U.S. media, and hot-linked
lists of PR publications and PR organizations, news sources and news
services, and journalism interest groups.
About.com (www.about.com)
About.com is a network of comprehensive Web sites for over 500

topics, run by About.com Guides, from across the Net and around
the world.
269
Corporate Information (www.corporateinformation.com)
This is actually a list of other sites that offer information about private or international companies that is otherwise hard to nd. It is
organized by country with a simple search feature.
InfoSeek (www.infoseek.com)
A search of Infoseek can yield the most relevant matches, topics to

explore, and news from popular magazines, TV networks, and the
best online experts. The InfoSeek Guide makes it easy to nd e-mail
addresses, stock quotes, company proles, and more.
Excite (www.excite.com)
This unique concept is based on navigation technology. It covers over

11.5 million pages and is updated weekly. A team of journalists reviews sites. Excite also offers Usenet newspaper groups, hourly news,
and commentary.
AJR Newslink (www.newslink.org)
This site links to newspapers, magazines, and TV sites. It couples

statistics on Internet sources.
Federal News Service (www.fnsg.com)
Want to read Vladimir Putins latest speech verbatim? Federal News

furnishes same-day transcripts of the actual works spoken by Russian
and American leaders on matters of ofcial government policy and
other issues.
Bacons Media Directory (www.bacons.com)
Bacons comprehensive media directory maintains a list of nearly

300,000 contacts at 60,000 media outlets, plus thousands of editorial
calendars.
C H A P T E R 22
The Job Search
n 1993, when the rst edition of this book was published, I wrote
in the job search chapter that getting a job any time is difcult.
When times are bad and companies are downsizing, or even worse,
going out of business, nding a job in PR is a Promethean task.
I also said, It is as difcult getting a job at one of the large PR
counsel rms as it is at the top advertising agencies. These rms have
their pick of outstanding graduates.
Well, 8 years later the task is not quite Promethean; lets just call
it formidable. Much has changed in public relations in this short
time span. Corporations that spent huge sums on advertising have
redirected their spending and turned to public relations as a potent
promotion and marketing medium. Many advertising agency groups
have purchased public relations counsel rms, and the largest rms
have gone global in a big way.
In 1993, I wrote that Edelman Public Relations Worldwide, then
the sixth-largest PR rm in the world, employed 500 people. In 2001,
Edelman is still the sixth-largest rm worldwide and employs more
than 1,000 in the United States alone and 2,000 worldwide.
270
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271
Another major development is the relationship of high tech and

PR. Most of the top rms have substantial high-tech divisions, and
today, there are many rms whose practice is exclusively in this area.
An article in the booklet of the Council of Public Relations Firms,
A Students Guide to Public Relations Education, notes that the new
century marks the golden age of public relations. Professionals are
employed at an estimated 6,000 PR counseling rms, thousands of
corporations, more than 500 trade associations, and at the media
relations departments of hundreds of colleges and universities. In addition, PR people are working at the federal, state, and city levels
of government, and at hospitals, social welfare agencies, religious
institutions, cultural organizations, philanthropies, and many other
nonprot organizations.
With the globalization of business, both on the corporate and the
PR counsel rm side, comes a need for trained PR personnel to spread
the word about products and services to a world population.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that PR is one of
the fastest growing professional elds in this country. PR rms are
constantly looking for new people as their businesses grow. But many
candidates dont ll the bill. Why? They didnt learn to write well,
they didnt pursue the right courses in college, and they didnt work
at internships. There are a dozen reasons. Well discuss them here.
FINDING THE FIRST JOB
No task is harder than nding a job, particularly your rst. Success

in this endeavor requires planning, preparation, energy, and enthusiasmall in large doses. Here is some basic advice. Well go into
specics later.
r Research the eld in which you have the greatest interest. Use libraries and the Internet. Journalists are also useful sources.
r Prepare a good resume.
r Learn about possible job openings in advance of contacting employers. Scan the list of Fortune 500 companies. Chances are these
companies have large PR departments. Write to the top PR executive, as well as the head of human resources. Follow up your letter
with a phone call.
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CHAPTER 22
r Use personal contacts for referrals. They are your best sources for
job leads.
r Use business directories for company names. Two important ones
are ODwyers Directory of PR Firms and ODwyers Directory of
Corporate Communications.
r Contact all the large PR rms in chapter 4 of this book.
r Prepare for an interview by learning as much as you can about the
corporations or organizations you are visiting. Read their annual
reports and look for articles about them in trade journals.
r Show samples of any press releases you have written and include
copies of any press coverage these releases have generated. Your
portfolio should contain this material, as well as any other writing
you have done, particularly if it has been published. Writing for
college publications can be used, but only if it is your best effort
and is clear, concise, and informative.
r Take the initiative in the interview by describing your qualications
and what you believe you can accomplish on the job.
r Dont fret about rejection; it is no cause to suppose that you will not
qualify elsewhere. Consider your job hunt as a learning experience.
Perseverance will win you the opportunity to begin your PR career.
r Read any current books you can nd about public relations and its
related elds.
r Contact your colleges alumni association. This will enable you to
track people from your school who have gone to work at a company
in which you are interested.
r Attend job fairs in which PR rms are participating. Ask specic
questions about hiring procedures and company policies.
r Make sure you are adept at cold calling, letter writing, and networking, because these are the ways you will probably get your
rst job.
r Dont lie or exaggerate on your resume. Your prospective employer
will undoubtedly check references, education, and job experience.
TIPS FROM INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS
The PRSSA asked a group of seasoned professionals what they valued

in people seeking to break into the eld. Their answers offer insight
into the experience and characteristics needed to get started in PR.
Asked, If I were planning to enter the eld again today, Id, they
replied:
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273
Earn an advanced degree, perhaps an MBA [and] learn more

about the social sciences.
Improve my writing skills and learn more about business.
Study liberal arts and work in the college PR ofce.
Study economics, history, sociology. As vacation preparation
Id get a job on a daily newspaper or a business news magazine.
See about a foreign job in PR in Hong Kong, London, or
Geneva, then return to the U.S. in a year or two.
Get a few years writing experience in print or broadcast.
Join a counseling rm in any capacity whatsoever.
Study economics and speech; force myself to join debating
groups, etc.
Have a better understanding of techniques of writing and a
broader knowledge of report writing.
What Employers Look for in Job Candidates
In a survey conducted by Dr. Dennis L. Wilcox at San Jose State

University, 90 top-level employers were asked about the traits, qualities, and educational background that are desirable in public relations
candidates. Sixty-ve replied. Highlights of their answers indicate that
the ideal applicant will have:
A 4-year undergraduate degree.
Courses in news writing, business, and social sciences.
An outstanding personality and a willingness to work.
The ability to write well.
Work experience in a related eld.
The respondents also said that a bachelors degree is a minimum,
and a masters degree, particularly an MBA, is helpful.
An applicants attitude is important to 97% of the employers, and
writing ability got a 95% vote. Other signicant traits were growth
potential 88%, poise 71%, cooperativeness 69%, and speaking ability
65%.
In the Council of Public Relations Firms booklet, a paragraph titled
Writing Classes merits particular consideration. We quote it here:
Even in this digital age when the computer and the Internet have become a more popular source of information than traditional media
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(such as newspapers), the ability to write well is still a critical public

relations function.
The Top Ten Characteristics for Entry-Level Practitioners
John Milkereit, APR, Fellow PRSA, manages his own PR and marketing consulting business in Charleston, South Carolina. In an article in
the March 2001 issue of TACTICS, he highlighted the most important qualities that a new-to-the-eld PR practitioner should possess.
Here is his top 10 list:2
1. Strong sense of empathy.
2. Being a good listener.
3. Critical thinking skills.
4. Willingness to start at the bottom.
5. Skill in writing and a mastery of English usage.
6. Maturity in self-expression and oral skills.
7. Ability to organize and edit information.
8. Maturity in grooming and appearance.
9. A good manager of personal time.
10. Experience in community service.
THE RIGHT STUFF ABOUT THE JOB SEARCH
Some students wait for graduation to begin hunting for a job in public
relations on the theory that they are better prepared at that point to
tackle this daunting assignment. Most authorities disagree with this
approach, maintaining that an internship is a more practical way to
get started. In either case, there are steps to follow in the job-seeking
process.
One of the most important tools to landing your rst job is your
resume.
Its the vehicle you use to market yourself to potential employers, and it should distinguish you from all other candidates. A wellwritten resume is the key to securing an interview. Write your cover
letter and resume so that your accomplishments, not just your experience, are emphasized. That way, youre more likely to convince
an employer that it would be in the companys best interest to hire
you.
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275
Because your resume is often your rst chance to make a good

impression, write it in such a way that will make you stand out.
Youll want to highlight your skills and strengths in a simple but
polished format. Here are some dos and donts about the resumewriting process:
Do:
r Write the resume as a one-page account of yourself.
r Include all of the following: name, address, phone and fax numbers,
e-mail, position desired, summary statement, education, practical
experience, pertinent internships or part-time work while at college,
and extracurricular and voluntary activities reported chronologically or in terms of the types of skills demonstrated or the work
accomplished.
r Be persuasive and honest. Pay attention to the impression your
resume makes by its layout and the way you express yourself. Remember to use action-oriented words, and check and recheck your
resume, particularly for typographical errors.
r Include names, addresses, and phone numbers of two or three references. Dont say References available.
r List all your computer skills and competence.
r If youve won any awards for educational excellence or leadership,
detail them.
r If you have writing ability, be prepared to show samples.
r If you have already been in the job market, show the internal promotion you had. The lack of progress on a job suggests that youre
on the job market because you cant get ahead in your present job.
Dont:
r Address the resume package to Dear Sir.
r Create a gimmicky or cutesy resume.
r Include self-defeating comments such as, Please dont misconstrue
my fourteen jobs as job hopping. I have never quit a job or Work
skills: strong on interpersonal relations, typing, ling, and reproduction.
r Omit dates of past jobs or college degrees. It looks like you are
hiding something.
r Use a highly ornamental resume. Avoid slick paper and bright colors
that might imply you emphasize appearance over content.
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Is Your Resum
e a Joke?
Robert Half is the founder and president of Robert Half International, the worlds largest stafng service. In an article in The Wall
Street Journals Managing Your Career, Half contributed from his
collection of resume bloopers.1
Some of the worst, said Half, come from college grads seeking
their rst jobs. Here are some favorites with Halfs comments in
parentheses.
r Graduated Magna Cum Loud.
r No degree due to school refusing to give it to me.
r Have taken repeated courses constantly (Could you repeat that).
r A job in the nancial sector commiserates with my education (And
someone to commiserate with in the event she doesnt nd that job).
r To work for a strong, growing company in a professional environment with opportunities for advancement and the union of
inculcated academic ideals with practical objectivity (Doesnt
everyone?).
Half ended the article with this piece of advice:
There are thousands more examples of what happens when students
fail to pay proper attention to their resumes before dropping them
into the mail. Through scrupulous proofreading (ask a trusted friend
to help), you can avoid earning the wrath of overworked, impatient
resume readers. I wish you good luck in your chosen career, and hope
that your resume will never land in my blooper le.
Dont Overlook the Cover Letter
An article in the Yale Daily News Guide to Internships 2000 by the

staff of the Yale Daily News, published by Kaplan and Simon &
Schuster, stresses the importance of the cover letter that accompanies
the resume. Here are a few dos from this excellent book:
r To a potential employer, both the cover letter and the resume are
like hearing your voice on paper. Try to stay away from the formletter mentality; make it original but keep it brief.
r Before you begin to write, think about these basic questions: Why
are you interested in this position? What do you have to offer the
company? What do you have that helps you stand out from the
other candidates?
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277
r Clearly state what job you want and why you are qualied.
r Make your cover letter brisk and upbeat.
r Match your personal interests with those of the company.
r Show enthusiasm about the job to which you are applying.
r Keep it to the point and not longer than one page.
r Demonstrate some knowledge of the company.
r Type your cover letter.
The Director of an International Career Marketing
Firm Talks About Resum
es
and Cover Letters
Steve Stromp is the director of client services for Bernard Haldane

Associates, an international career marketing rm. He manages
Haldanes career advising staffs in 16 U.S. and Canadian markets.
Here are some questions and answers on the subject of resumes and
cover letters taken from an online interview on Washingtonpost.com:
Live Online:
Columbia, Maryland: Should your cover letter summarize your resume
or should it give more of a personal overview?
Steve Stromp: Consider the cover a mini resume. Tailor it to the
position and highlight relevant portions of the resume.
Washington, D.C.: Is it true that most employers now screen resumes
by computer?
Steve Stromp: Yes, and this requires that you prepare your resume
accordingly in ASCII format, 60 characters wide.
Bethesda, MD: Should you create several forms of your resume to
target different types of jobs, e.g., training, management, and research?
Steve Stromp: A resume is really an ad describing a productyou.
So Id suggest one resume that allows you to cover the market. If you
have the resume on your computer, you can make slight changes to
meet specic jobs.
Ft. Washington, MD: Is there some unwritten rule that says a resume
should be one page in length?
Steve Stromp: You will get different opinions. Mine? I feel a twopage resume is effective. Why compress your qualications into one
page? If youre early in your career, a one-page may be OK, but for
most people Id suggest two pages.
Washington, D.C.: Can you advise a good resume program or
guideline? One that would be within current standards for todays job
searcher?
Steve Stromp: Most resumes I see from the general public are historical in nature. You want an action-driven, results-oriented resume that
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highlights what you can do. Dont focus on your job responsibilities;
stress what youve accomplished. Employers want to know what you
can do, not what you were required to do.
Fairfax, VA: Can I write a general cover letter to send to many
different places?
Steve Stromp: No. If you expect results, take the time to tailor your
letter to the companys requirements. The Haldane system provides
special techniques on how to do this.
Washington, D.C.: Id like to know more about automatic resume
screening. Are there certain magic words that always work? Also, does
this mean no one will read that letter I labored over?
Steve Stromp: An increasing number of employers today use computers to scan resumes into a database and search for key words. If
your resume lacks such information, you may get few hits. Scan the
classieds and notice what skills employers are seeking in your eld.
Build those key words into your resumeif they apply. If youre still
not getting results, continue to play with the word mix.
Washington, D.C.: What are the rules for submitting resumes via
e-mail? Do hiring managers prefer to receive attachments of MS Word
documents, or should the resume be included in the body of the e-mail?
Do cover letters need to follow any special formatting rules in e-mails?
Steve Stromp: Dont send employers an e-mail with the resume attached. Because of viruses, companies try to avoid opening attachments. Write a cover letter in the e-mail and paste a 60-character-wide
ASCII version of your resume.
Bethesda, MD: Ive sent out a number of lettersresumes over the
past month but have not yet heard back from the companies. Is it a
good idea to call them and ask for an interview directly?
Steve Stromp: Youre a reactive job-hunter waiting for companies
to call. Be proactive. Where there is opportunity, call the HR ofce
before you mail; talk to the specialist who will be screening resumes.
Direct your letter to that person by name. Include an action close in the
letter. Rather than writing I can be reached at (000) 0000000, state,
I will call you November 22 to discuss my qualications in greater
detail and schedule an appointment. I guarantee youll get improved
results this way.
Resum
es
Go on a Trip Into Cyberspace
By the end of 2000, there were more than 2.1 billion available Web
pages for companies to dig out talented job prospects.
Todays job seekers are a sophisticated bunch. They prepare their
resumes in several different formats: producing one in traditional hard
copy for use in interviews and mailings, and a plain text resume they
can send out in the body of an e-mail.
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279
Job candidates may also ll out online questionnaires and post

them directly to an employers Web site, where they are stored. The
employer then searches the database using relevant keywords that will
pop up information on the kind of candidate he or she is looking for.2
In a popular technique called ipping, recruiters can search the
entire Web for employees who have worked for, or even attended,
a conference held by a particular employer, provided a link is listed
back to that company on their electronic resume.
Here are some tips for getting your resume noticed on the Internet.
Post a digital version of your resume with examples of past work
experience on your own home page. Many colleges and professional associations offer free or low-cost Web space and
resources for posting resumes.
Place the word resume in the Web site address to increase
your chances of being caught by Internet recruiters.
Place plenty of links to Web sites of present and former employers, colleges, professional associations, and publications on
your digital resume.
Create a simpler version of your resume to send to a recruiter
or potential employer and let them know a longer version is
available.
Read the privacy policies on online job boards to prevent
unwanted eyes from viewing your resume. Some companies
have Web scavengers who check for their own employees
resumes online. In turn, some job boards let users block
certain companies from seeing their postings.
Use niche job boards in your eld. Smaller, targeted boards can
sometimes be more effective than the big brand-name sites.
(Source: CareerXroads, RISE Internet Recruiting Seminars,
Advanced Internet Recruiting Strategies)
What about the numerous job sites that compete aggressively for
the attention of employers, as well as candidates? Opinions differ
on the efcacy of online job applications. A study from Forrester
Research in 2000 concluded that the quality of jobs offered on the
Internet is below average and that online resume databases generate
little response.
The success rate among job seekers is telling. The Forrester study
found that only 4% of respondents found their latest job using the
Net, compared with 40% who landed a job from a referral and 23%
from a newpaper ad.
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In the Forrester Research study, Monster.com had the highest number of users, more than 10.1 million registered, but Craigslist.com, a
tiny, Bay Area nonprot organization, scored highest for efciency in
nding employees.
Some college career centers further the job-seeking process by
having prospective graduates ll out an online form that includes
courses, activities, and work experience. A center then e-mails the
completed form to companies, online job boards, and on-campus recruiters. Job candidates may nd themselves being courted by major
rms without ever putting ink to paper.
A STUDENTS GUIDE TO PUBLIC RELATIONS EDUCATION
The best college programs in PR will prepare students for skills in the
following areas:
r Research, including methods, analysis, recommendations, reporting, environmental and social assessment, and understanding research statistics.
r Management of information, including its role in the public relations process.
r Mastery of language, both written and oral.
r Problem solving and negotiation.
r Management of communication.
r Strategic planning.
r Issues management, including environmental scanning, issue anticipation, risk analysis, and change methodology.
r Audience segmentation.
r Technology and visual literacy (particularly Internet and desktop).
r Publishing and development of new media.
r Message strategies and the design and layout of messages.
r Managing people, programs, and resources.
r Sensitive interpersonal communication.
r Fluency in a second language.
r Ethical decision making.
r Participation in the professional public relations community.
r Writing and production of specic communications messages.
r Informative and persuasive writing for various audiences.
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281
r Area of emphasis such as community relations, consumer relations,

government relations, employee relations, investor relations, and
media relations.
r Working within a current issue environment.
r Public speaking and presentation skills.
r Applying cross-cultural and cross-gender sensitivity. (Source: A Students Guide to Public Relations Education Council of Public Relations Firms)
Not all college PR programs offer the same curriculum. PRSA and
leading educators agree that the most important skills are the ability
to communicate effectively in written and oral form and to be able to
think creatively and quickly.
Do You Need an Advanced Degree to Make It in Public Relations?
If youre shooting for the corner ofce (a few still exist) in a PR rm

or a corporation, it may be a good choice to attend graduate school.
There, if youve chosen the right school, youll acquire advanced skills
and knowledge in research, problem solving, and issues, as well as
management-level expertise.
Although many PR industry leaders agree that a degree in mass
communications with a major in public relations is sufcient background for a career in this eld, others build a strong case for an
advanced degree.
Most advanced degrees call for 30 to 36 credit hours of graduate
coursework in course areas such as:
Communication theory
Communication law
Research methods
Communications management
Communications processes
Programming and production
Management sciences
Behavioral sciences
Here are the comments of the well-known author and teacher
Dr. Doug Newsom on the subject of graduate education3 :
Graduate education helps you work smarter. You learn research methods that enlarge your professional public relations tool box.
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Exposure to a broader range of literature makes you examine strategies carefully, ask why a lot more often and look for evidence that
effort equals effects.
We add that a graduate degree is a great boost in the search for the
rst job.
ACING THE INTERVIEW
Youve taken all the right public relations courses at college. Now,
whether youre applying for an internship or a full-time job, youll
have to face the blue funk of an interview.
Here are the comments of a group of seasoned professionals on
what impresses them most when interviewing an entry-level
candidate:
Personal attributes such as appearance, self-condence, courtesy. . . ability to learn as well as respond thoughtfully. . . how
well candidate has done homework about our company,
etc.
Articulateness, clear thinking, pleasant disposition, high energy, and good writing samples that stress ability to think,
not just to string words together.
Their knowledge of my company.
Enthusiasm (but not phony), writing ability.
Self-condence, knowledge of the humanities, interest in business.
Sincerity. . . the candidates desire to learn from the bottom up.
Breadth of interesteconomic, political, social, philosophic.
Ability to manage time.
Brain power and intellect.
Enthusiasm. . . candor. . . good work samples.
Working experience in media or PR he or she had while in
school.
Crystal-clear and orderly speechsuggesting an orderly
mind.
Ability to listen, as well as converse. . . demeanor and dress.
The gray matter he/she has, an eagerness to learn.
The questions he/she asks.
Evidence of intelligence, motivation, and interpersonal skills.
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Knowledge of what PR is and isnt.

The preparation the candidates have made for the interviews.
(Source: PRSSA)
An article in Kaplan/Newsweeks book, How to Use the
INTERNET to Choose or Change CAREERS, puts a new face on
todays interview process.4 Overwhelmed by the need to hire the best
people in an employees market, employers are trying new techniques
to sift for winners and sign them up. Theyre prescreening applicants
with online interviews, telescoping a months worth of meetings into
day-long marathons, and administering psychological questions and
skills tests. And in an effort to reclaim power in a job hunters market,
theyre making exploding job offers: Accept within 48 hours or the
deals off the table.
If you think youre in the drivers seat in an interview situation,
grab the initiative. Find out what you really want to know about the
company. Ask about corporate culture, the clients, and the pace of
work, with questions like, How frequent are your staff meetings? or
Could you describe what my typical day might be? A question like
How is your new expansion in Europe going? shows youve done
your homework. But, says the article, dont ask about pay and
retirement benets. That discussion will come soon enoughmaybe
by the end of the day.
Why People Bomb in Interviews
An article in the spring 1997 issue of Managing Your Career, published by Dow Jones, offered an assessment of why job candidates
fail interviews5 :
r You cant translate the questions being asked.
r You fail to consider what the company wants in a new employee.
r When asked why you should be hired, you cited only values.
r When replying to the icebreaker, Tell me about yourself, you
started with where you were born and continue chronologically.
r You didnt research the company.
r You havent a clue why you should be hired.
r You didnt prepare for a weak interviewer.
r You forgot that your ability to t into the companys culture is
important.
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r You confused interviewing with psychotherapy or a gig at a comedy

club.
r You failed to exude condence.
These valuable tips are general, yet they are certainly applicable to
jobs in public relations.
An article in The New York Times, on January 30, 2001, pointed
to another important issueFinessing Interviews: Dont Ask, Do
Tell. Its message was, complete candor in the interview process.6
Your mantra, said David Kirby, author of the article, should
be anticipation and preparation. You want to anticipate the questions and prepare your answers in advance. Kirby went on to say,
Begin by studying your past very carefully. Short-lived jobs, abrupt
departures, and gaps in your resume almost always raise red
ags.
Kirby also said that job placement experts recommend that you
carefully respond to questions about gaps in your resume, address
why you havent found a job by now, and offer candor about your
weaknesses.
The PRSA Tips on Interviews
PRSA again weighs in with sound advice, this time on interviews:

Prepare for interviews by learning as much as possible about the
organization beforehand. Financial information about major business
corporations may be available from the companys nancial relations
ofce.
Show samples of your work, but keep in mind that they should
represent your best efforts. Quality is more impressive than quantity.
If the interviewer does not choose to lead the discussion, be ready
to take the initiative in describing your qualications and what you
believe you can accomplish on the job. Also, be aware of the fact that
the quality of your questions about the company and the position can
be as impressive and revealing of your potential as your background,
particularly if your experience is limited.
Every candidate for a public relations position must remember that
the number of persons hired for any particular opening is small compared to the number interviewed. Rejection is no cause to suppose
you will not qualify elsewhere. Consider your job hunt as a learning
experience. Through perseverance you can will the opportunity to
begin your public relations career.
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INTERNSHIPS: A STEP FORWARD TO GETTING

AN ENTRY-LEVEL JOB
At the beginning of the 21st century, advertising has given way to

public relations as the hot communications medium. As a result, PR
rms are expanding their operations and eagerly looking for talented
new people to sustain their growth. Yet there is still heavy competition
for entry-level jobs at the large PR rms and at the major corporations.
For people seeking these select positions, an internship is often
the ticket of admission. One professional gave this advice to those
planning to enter the eld of PR:*
My advice: internships, internships, internships! Theres nothing to
beat practical experience. You can learn only the basics of PR in school.
Building technique, strategy, even creativity comes on the job. This is
a fast-paced, often high-stress eld, and there is a lot of competition.
You have to be condent in what you know and all that you do, so
learning as much as possible before you begin your professional career
is important.
The most productive internships are those involving assignments

of one or more of the following duties:
r Writing, layout, and editing for external or internal publications,
promotional material, and brochures.
r News gathering, and news release and feature writing.
r Research and report writing.
r Preparing lists of key personnel at various media.
r Preparing audiovisual presentations.
r Helping to arrange or take part in special events.
r Assisting in fund-raising programs.
In the opinion of management, most of these skills should have
been learned by the candidate prior to the internship. However, for an
internship to work, the management, or principals of an organization,
must be available to supervise and teach. If they are not, the internship
will be a waste of time.
Internships are a great way to break into public relations, says
Keith Greenberg.* Companies learn a great deal about the candidate
from this experience. They nd it easier to evaluate a student or a
prospects work rather than try to predict potential through reading
a resume.
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Ruder Finns Standout Executive Training/Summer

Internship Program
Ruder Finn is one of the nations largest full-service, independent, international public relations agencies. The rm has ofces in a number
of U.S. cities and abroad.
Ruder Finn has a paid executive training program offered three
times a year in its New York City headquarters. The program is
for college graduates who have at least a bachelors degree. Executive trainees work full-time and also attend weekly classes. Graduates
of the program who are hired become assistant account executives.
Ruder Finn also sponsors a part-time summer internship for college juniors. They are paid $10 per hour for the 20-hour-per-week program.
A Success Story in High-Tech Public Relations
Sue Bohle is president the The Bohle Company, a Los Angeles-based

public relations rm specializing in technology. Bohle went from being
a journalism graduate at Northwesterns Medill School to a job in PR
at Burson-Marstellers Los Angeles ofce, to becoming the rst female
vice-president at J. Walter Thompsons Los Angeles ofce, then to
working for Bill Gatess new Microsoft company in 1981, and nally
to owning her own agency in Los Angeles, specializing in technology
public relations. Bohle is not only a success story, but also a tribute
to the achievement of parity by women in this specialization.
Here are some excerpts from her interview with Dennis Gaschen,
APR, in the March 2000 issue of PRSAs TACTICS:
Sue Bohle: From Backpacks To Bill Gates

Sue Bohle, APR, Fellow PRSA, is president of The Bohle Company,
a Los Angeles-based public relations rm specializing in technology
(www.bohle.com).
Bohle was one of the rst women inducted into PRSAs College
of Fellows and, in 1999, served as its chair. She is also past chairman of the Counselors Academy as well as past president of PRSAs
Los Angeles chapter. This year, Bohle celebrates her 30-year anniversary in public relations. TACTICS contributor Dennis Gaschen, APR,
talks with Bohle about the challenges of being a woman in the profession, her decision in 1979 to focus almost exclusively on technology,
and her work in the 80s for a little-known start-up company called
Microsoft.
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How did you get your start in public relations?

It wasnt my rst career choice. I graduated with my bachelors degree from Northwestern Universitys Medill School of Journalism in
the 60s. Both my parents were teachers and my father told me that
teaching was a good career for a woman. You can quit it to have
a family and then go back when the kids are grown. I taught high
school journalism for 3 years, but I knew that if I continued, my brain
would atrophy. I went back to school, got my masters in journalism,
and then headed West.
We arrived in Los Angeles in 1969, $20,000 in debt. Id hoped to use
my journalism skills at a local paper, but found no takers. One day,
I got a call from Burson-Marsteller. They needed a female account
executive to manage public relations for a feminine-hygiene product.
Within three weeks I was traveling to New York to conduct my rst
media tour. I remember thinking, Great travel, a secretary, and decent
paythis PR thing might not be half bad!
What was it like when you rst entered the PR profession?
Unlike today, the only career tracks open to women back then were
cosmetics, fashion, and food. I had an interest in anything but those
three, so I asked for more challenging assignments. Through persistence, I moved on to bullets, reloading equipment, and handguns. Later,
it was backpacks and toboggans.
In 1974, I was recruited to help open J. Walter Thompsons Los
Angeles ofce. Although there was still some resistance to female executives in the public relations business, I became the rst female vicepresident at J. Walter Thompson outside New York. Hearing about
the promotion, a female reporter at Business Week asked, Does this
mean you dont have to pour the coffee anymore? Despite these perceptions, the biggest challenge for working women during the 70s was
nding dependable child-care.
When did you go out on your own?
In 1979, 10 days after I had my second child. I called the ofce the
day I delivered and found it in a panic. A large client had red the
agency. Luckily, it was the ad side of the business. I was retained for
public relations support, and Ive had that rst client, Eastman Kodak
Company, ever since.
Have you always owned your own agency?
No, in the mid-80s I sold The Bohle Company. I worked for the
parent company for 18 months, but didnt want to focus solely on
new business. I didnt feel I could ethically sign up a new client and
then walk away. I started the present-day The Bohle Company in 1987.
When did you get into the high-tech eld?
Ive always had an interest in technology as a tool. From the day I
rst saw a PC, I steered my career and my business in that direction. I
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pleaded to a good friend David Simon, who ran one of the rst hightech PR rms in Los Angeles, Call me if you ever have a client conict. He referred my rst technology account and the rest is history.
In hindsight, getting into technology was one of the smartest things
Ive ever done.
When did you start with Microsoft?
I was introduced to Bill Gates at the 1981 Comdex. Ben Rosen, the
chair of Compaq at that time, said there was a small startup that was
looking for a high-tech PR rm. The company was Microsoft, and I
worked directly with Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer [Microsofts new
CEO] for 3 years. We helped reposition Microsoft from a language
and compiler company to a software company that produced operations systems. Presently, The Bohle Company works for Microsofts
Southern California Regional Ofce.
Can you tell us what working for Bill Gates is like?
Bill hasnt changed much over the years. He has always been super
smart, in a hurry, and not willing to suffer any fools. You had to be
well prepared for every meeting, efcient with his time, offer advice he
respected, otherwise, hed get up and walk out of the meeting. I found
working with him extremely exhilarating. My only regret was that I
didnt buy more Microsoft stock. [Laughs.]
How has high-tech public relations changed through the years?
The competition for a solid media placement is tougher today. The
media used to be interested in concepts. Now they want real customers and alliances with strategic partners. The media strategy has
also changed. You used to pitch publications with long leads [time]
rst, then medium leads and nally online publications. Now online
publications carry the hard news and the rest cover trends or in-depth
stories.
Where else is high-tech PR going?
The good news is technology has embraced the power of public
relations. The bad news is that 75% of todays Internet companies
wont be here tomorrow. For every good idea on the Internet, there
are 30 competitors. Without capital, valid ideas cant succeed. Weve
turned away more business this year because the client wasnt ready
or able to invest in success.
How is The Bohle Company preparing for the future?
Were only as good as our employees. I believe the secret to retention is frequent performance reviews and then recognizing that performance. We also must provide employees with the tools to grow. I want
an employee to say, I like to work here because I know you focus on
my career.
Each employee receives 2 hours of training weekly. We also schedule
two off-site seminars and, once a year, host a 3-day team building
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289
retreat somewhere fun. Weve gone to Puerto Vallarta and Vancouver.

But these trips are work too since theyre entirely staff run. Employees
do everything from making the travel arrangements to presenting. Its
a great way to polish client skills.
As you enter your third decade in the profession, whats on the
horizon?
I feel lucky to say that after 30 years in the business, the passion to
go to work each day is still there. Now I want to pass along some of
the knowledge. I sponsored my rst internship in 1974 and it was the
beginning of a life-long commitment to mentoring. Now, Id like to
combine the teacher in me with my other lovetravel. If I can raise
the reputation of the profession along the way, all the better.
Red-Hot Job Market in High-Tech Now Only Tepid
Until 2000, high-tech and dot.com companies were going public as

fast as the regulatory agencies could approve their registration. Then,
in late 2000 and early 2001, the markets cooled and the seemingly
endless supply of venture capital dried up.
But, although there were fewer high-tech startups, the demand for
PR people skilled in this sphere remained strong. Companies are still
looking for the help PR can afford in bringing a startup to the publics
and the industrys attention.
Another market for high-tech PR beyond new companies is traditional ofine companies penetrating the online market.7 As Katie
Sweeney points out in another TACTICS article, ofine companies, as
well as the dot.coms, have a strong need to apply a total marketing
approach to their efforts, one that combines messaging, branding,
and positioning, as well as PR.
But, says Sweeney, employers are still choosy. Theyre looking
for talent, people who understand the high-tech industry, how to use
the Internet to its greatest advantage, and, nally, how PR ts into
the whole picture.
Hands On: How-To Advice for Practitioner Skills You Need
to Expand Your Counselor Role
Carole M. Howard, APR, is an author and frequent speaker on communications and global marketing. She is the retired worldwide vicepresident of PR for the Readers Digest Association.
In the course of updating her book On Deadline: Managing Media
Relations, she asked 20 senior PR corporate ofcers, agency heads,
and academics the question, What are the most valuable skills for a
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PR professional to develop in order to become an effective counselor

to management?
While much of this advice falls within the orbit of senior PR staffers,
it does help put the entire PR role in perspective. Here is some of the
response Ms. Howard received from her query:
Some mention listening skills. Several mentioned the condence and
courage to speak the truth. Many mentioned strong communications
skills. Yet every single one of them said the most essential qualication
of all is a thorough knowledge of your organizations business.
Top executives and other decision-makers will nd it difcult to take
advice from anyone who does not have a thorough understanding of
the business. Its essential that you constantly update your knowledge
of the organization you represent, its strategy, its position in the marketplace, its growth and expansion plans.
Recognizing emerging issues is another key role of a PR counselor.
Much like products, public issues also have life cycles. Your goal should
be to identify new issues early enough so that your organizations can
shape and manage them rather than merely respond.
Though PR professionals generally are well informed, you can
increase your chances of recognizing important issues early by paying
careful attention to all media, traditional and new, not just which cover
your businesses and industries regularly.
Read a wide variety of media, not only business and trade press,
but also alternative press and publications devoted to subjects and
ideologies outside the scope of your industry. Do keyword searches on
the Internet and visit opinion-leading Web sites.
Read editorials and be alert to new subjects and shifts in the opinions
of thought leaders.
Monitor letters-to-the-editor sections in newspaper and magazines,
especially in the more prestigious publications, as well as newsgroups,
chat rooms, user groups, and forums on the Internet. Important new
issues or changes in viewpoints on old ones often get their rst public
exposure in these arenas.
Pay attention to better quality TV and radio talk shows and interview
programs for good sources on issues.
Maintain informal contacts with key media people. Seek their
opinions.
Build internal alliances in a strong informal network of sources in
your organization. They can alert you to developing trends within your
industry and markets, and changes that need to be made.
When you do the counseling job well, you can become catalysts for
change and make signicant long-term contributions to your organizations success.
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How to Achieve Fast-Track Career Success

and Earn a Quick Promotion
Donald Asher writes books on careers. In the Dow Jones career supplement Managing Your Career, spring 1997, he discussed how to
earn a promotion in 12 months or less8 :
1. Dont lock into a particular industry or location too early.
2. Even if the money is great, be sure youre interested in the job.
3. To get ahead fast, always ask for more responsibility.
4. Volunteer for presentations and writing assignments.
5. Anticipate what you should know, then learn it on your own.
6. Always be looking for your next assignment, but make sure you
have good results on your present one.
7. Develop mentors, someone you can talk to about job problems.
8. Create a wide network, outside and inside the organization.
9. Dont get involved in company politics, especially early in your
career.
10. Take risks. Dont be afraid to fail.
THE 50 MOST POWERFUL WOMEN IN PUBLIC RELATIONS
In 1979, when I wrote my rst book, The Magazine: Everything

You Need to Know to Make It in the Magazine Bussiness, I commented that although women were making strides beyond editorial
jobs on fashion magazines, there were few women publishers or even
ad salespeople on general magazines. By the mid 1980s, one of the
magazines that I published, National Lampoon, had a woman as advertising director and an all-female ad sales staff. A few years later, the
issue of women in magazine publishing ceased being an issue. Women
had become publishers of some of our largest magazines, including
Fortune, People, Ebony, and Self.
Women are employed in public relations in greater numbers than
men, but they head only two top PR counsel rms, APCO and Ruder
Finn.
In the corporate world, women are a healthy percentage of the
top professionals in the country. At General Electric, Beth Comstock
is vice-president of corporate communications, and Marilyn Laurie
holds that position at AT&T.
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Other senior corporate women in PR include Mich Matthews of

Microsoft, Elizabeth Krupnick of New York Life, and Kathy
Fitzgerald of Lucent.
In the technology sector, Pam Alexander founded Alexander Communications and now runs Alexander Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, while Jonelle Birney heads Hill & Knowltons global technology
practice.
Again, in technology, Melissa Waggener is CEO and president of
Waggener Edstrom, a rm she started in 1983 with two employees.
At this writing, her rm has more than 400 staffers.
At high-prole AOL, before the merger with Time Warner, Kathy
Bushkin was chief communications ofcer and senior vice-president.
She had been head of the media relations practice at Hill & Knowlton
before joining AOL.
So, is there a downside to this picture of women running the PR
business? Yes, if we read the article, The 50 Most Powerful Women
in PR in the August 1999 issue of PRWeek.9 Its 60 women to 40
men at the entry level, said Chris Komisarjevsky, (male) CEO of
number-one worldwide Burson-Marsteller. As you move higher into
the organization, women decide there are other things they want to
do and the proportions change. There are women starting families,
deciding to make lifestyle changes. At Burson-Marsteller, by the way,
there are only two women on the worldwide leadership team.
Clearly, although women are underrepresented in the boardrooms
of large PR rms and their corporate clients, women are making giant
steps, but not big strides.
ONE WOMANS CAREER PATH FROM LAW SCHOOL TO

CORPORATE/FINANCIAL PUBLIC RELATIONS PRACTICE
Liza Olsen ran a circuitous route to her job as an account executive in the corporate/nancial practice of Burson-Marstellers New
York ofce. There she works on such challenging assignments as the
acquisition of the largest power company in Venezuela. I asked Olsen
about her fast-track career.
What college training or major best prepared you for a career in the
public relations industry? Do you think your college training gave you
a sufcient business background?
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Any course of study or experience that provides the opportunity to

read, analyze, and synthesize a wide range of ideas, and then clearly
write critical analyses, is benecial to a career in public relations. As
an English major, my academic courses were ideal training for me.
My college experience did not provide me with an in-depth business
background, largely because I chose to concentrate on English and
liberal arts courses. However, when I entered the business world, I
found that reading daily newspapers and other business publications
and working closely with colleagues who had strong business
backgroundshelped me gain the insight and perspective necessary
for the job.
What career path did you follow to your current position?
Immediately after graduating from college in 1989, I joined Senator
Pete Wilsons (R-CA) staff as a press ofce intern in Washington, D.C.
At the end of the internship, I obtained an entry-level staff position,
responsible for monitoring and responding to constituent concerns. In
1990, when Senator Wilson became governor of California, I moved
to Sacramento and worked for 3 years in his press ofce as an assistant
press secretary.
In 1993, I left my position with Governor Wilson and enrolled at
the University of Utah College of Law. During my law school years,
I clerked for two summersrst in the public affairs division of the
Utah Attorney Generals Ofce, and then at a small law rm in Salt
Lake City.
After graduating from law school in 1997, I studied for and passed
the Utah and California state bar examinations. As I considered my
next step, I looked at careers that would make the most of my communications training from the political sector, research and analytical skills from law school, and personality that is best suited to a
people-focused industry. Because the public relations eld offered the
type of environment that was a clear t for me, both personally and
professionally, I accepted a position with Burson-Marstellers public
affairs practice in Los Angeles. After working in the Los Angeles ofce
for two years, I joined the companys corporate/nancial practice in
New York City, where I have been working for more than one year.
How important are writing skills in your work as a PR professional?
Writing skills are one of the most important elements to a successful
career in public relations. In my experience, written material is the major channel through which most clients messages are communicated,
and I believe that the quality of writing has a signicant impact on how
well these messages are received by both internal and external audiences. Public relations professionals need to be able to write in an organized, clear, and jargon-free way. And because audiences include employees, shareholders, members of the media, Internet/intranet users,
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and the general public, the ability to write in a variety of tones is a

distinct advantage.
I believe that because of the variety of the work and the pace of the
profession, the public relations industry offers writers a work environment and professional opportunities rarely found anywhere else.
What is the most important skill that an account person can possess?
There are a number of important skills that effective account people
need to perform their jobs wellwritten and verbal communication,
organizational and multitasking skills. However, I believe the most
important skill an account person can have is to be curious, and possess
the desire to learn and understand a clients business. These skills do
more than enable an account person to respond to the clients current
needsthey enable him or her to move beyond the tried and true and
recommend new approaches.
Do you function in single or multiple practice areas?
As a member of Burson-Marstellers corporate/nancial practice, I
am primarily involved in three of the Practices subspecialtiesglobal
transactions and litigation, investor relations, and crisis communications.
How many accounts do you service?
Im usually working on at least two client accounts simultaneously,
and am continually involved in new business projects. However,
because of the pace of the work and the degree of sensitivity that
are so much a part of crisis communications and merger/bankruptcy
projects, there are times when I only work with one client at a time.
What was the most creative and interesting project youve worked on
since joining Burson-Marsteller? What was the nature of the situation
and its resolution?
The most interesting and intellectually rewarding project I have
worked on involved AES Corporation and La Electricidad de Caracas
(EDC). Burson-Marsteller was hired to help AES make a tender offer for the Venezuelan company EDC, the largest power company in
Venezuela and a benchmark stock on Venezuelas stock exchange.
AES launched a surprise tender offer for a 51% majority of EDC,
at a premium over the current share price that represented the largest
foreign direct investment in the Venezuela private sector.
Our objective was to help persuade the requisite amount of shareholders to tender their shares to gain a 51% majority by demonstrating
that AESs investment was in the best interest of the shareholders. We
also needed to reassure the Venezuelan public that a foreign takeover
did not represent a political liability, a loss of local control of the local
company, or a reduction in quality electricity service.
Burson-Marstellers team played a pivotal role in the transaction. It provided strategic counsel, media relations support, nancial
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295
communications, and positioning so that AES could best leverage its

position as a global power company seeking to acquire the leading
company on the Bolsa de Caracas Exchange.
Burson-Marsteller worked with the Deal Team to communicate
the message that the tender offer was in the best interests of the shareholders. Press coverage in Venezuela and the United States reached
millions of readers and viewers, and generated positive perceptions of
the AES offer.
AES communications with the local business press, shareholders,
and the nancial community convinced a higher-than-expected number of shareholders that it was in their best interest to tender their
shares of EDC to AES. After a months-long battle, AES acquired
81% of EDC for a total of $1.6 billion, the largest stock purchase
in Venezuelan history. The stock offer was so popular with shareholders that AES gained control of 30% more stock than it originally
hoped for.
With whom do you interact at your clients organization?
My clients are usually vice-presidents and other senior-level executives, typically in the communications, public relations/public affairs,
or investor relations departments. On occasion, I work directly with a
company CEO.
How do you assure that there is a steady ow of ideas from your
rm to your clients?
I believe that there are three elements to a productive agency-client
relationship:
First, knowledge about the clients business and industry, which I
accomplish by reading newspapers, magazines, trade journals, and
Web sites, as well as attending workshops, conferences, seminars, and
other training and education programs offered by Burson-Marsteller
and other organizations. Participating in these activities ensures that I
remain strategically focused and that I can respond to, and anticipate,
my clients communications challenges.
Second, ability to anticipate the clients needs and provide valuable
counsel. An important part of my job as a consultant is to identify
opportunities, approaches, and solutions that my clients may not have
otherwise considered or pursued.
Third, consistent delivery of the highest quality work possible.
Describe, in a few hundred words or less, your rst year at BursonMarsteller.
I joined Burson-Marsteller in January 1997. I worked exclusively
with QUALCOMM, a digital wireless telecommunications company,
providing strategic counsel and communications support to its corporate and legal ofce, and promoting its proprietary technology, code
division multiple access (CDMA).
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My greatest challenge was educating myself not only on

QUALCOMMs business strategy but also on the intricacies of its technology. With a professional background focused primarily on law and
politics, I was unfamiliar with the growing telecommunications sector, its audiences, its inuencers, and the channels and processes for
effectively communicating messages.
I spent my rst year learning as much as possible about the telecommunications industry and the issues facing its members. In addition
to my own research on the industry, I worked closely with a team
of Burson-Marsteller colleagues who had strong telecommunications,
technology and corporate positioning backgrounds. I also had to adjust to agency life, and for that I also turned to my Burson-Marsteller
colleagues. They provided me with guidance on the procedures, work
ow, and skills that are needed to thrive in the fast-paced, but never
uneventful, public relations industry.
My rst year was certainly a time for learning, but it also provided
me with the opportunity to share with my new team members the
unique skills that I developed in the political and legal arenas.
REAL JOBS IN PUBLIC RELATIONS
We scanned the Marketplace section of various issues of PRSAs

TACTICS for a sampling of job offers:
r The Fortune 500 company Litton Industries, in sunny California,
listed a job for an expert-level writer who can also write executive speeches for delivery to the nancial community. The job pays
$90,000 a year plus incentives.
r If you qualify as a marketing manager for a large law rms Los
Angeles ofce, the salary range is $90120K, depending on your
qualications and experience.
r In late 1999, the technology powerhouse Brodeur Worldwide was
looking for account executives in their Boston ofce. The jobs called
for monitoring trends, writing press releases, tracking competition,
arranging press tours, and utilizing the Web and other traditional
means to reach the media and investment analyst communities. The
jobs called for 34 years of PR or other communications experience.
r To qualify as a senior account executive with a Miami-based PR
and marketing rm handling national accounts, you need to be a
superb writer with 3+ years experience. The job pays an excellent
salary and offers great benets.
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West Coast Public Relations Jobs (www.westcoastprjobs.com)
West Coast PR Jobs is an outstanding source for jobs in public relations and marketing. A search of its Web site yielded the following
excellent offering:
Horizon Communications, a Silicon Valley high-tech PR agency,
was looking for account people from within the high-tech industry
with 2 to 4 years of strong experience. The responsibilities ranged
from classic PR services to creating and implementing comprehensive
marketing campaigns. One job requirement was a well-developed
sense of humor. The company offered a full range of benets that
even included vitamin and chiropractic discounts. Salary was commensurate with experience and probably a lot more than youre
making now. To apply for this job with Horizon, the rm asked for
a cover letter, resume, salary history, and writing samples. Most of
West Coasts account executive jobs called for 2 to 4 years of high-tech
PR agency experience.
O.K. Already, We Love Public Relations, But How Much
Money Will We Make?
In the rst edition of this book, I reported the 1991 results of a salary
survey conducted by Research & Forecasts, a division of the large PR
rm Ruder Finn. Some of its ndings indicated that the media salary
for all PR practitioners at counsel rms was $47,000. Men made 15%
more than women and received about twice the bonus.
The median salary for an account executive with a PR rm then
was $28,132 and with a corporation $35,724. Well, the good news
is that salaries are substantially higher now, but only about one-tenth
the salary of the lowest-paid NBA basketball player, who makes about
$550,000 a year and averages about 2 minutes playing time per game.
The Marshall Consultants 1999 Compensation Review
Marshall is a corporate and marketing communications recruiting

rm. Its most recent available salary survey is based on 1998 gures. We can assume that these gures rise about 10% per year. Also,
salaries are higher in the pharmaceutical and high-tech elds, especially for those with media relations skills.
One other positive and long overdue note: Kathleen DesRosiers,
head of Marshalls Los Angeles ofce, commented, Gender no longer
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makes a difference in hiring practices and compensation policies, certainly in the large cities that are centers for communications.10 She
predicted, Since there are more highly qualied women than men
entering the eld, it should follow that in the future, more jobs will
be held by women.
Large corporations in the Marshall study were dened as those
having sales of $1 billion or more, mid-size corporations between
$400 million and $1 billion, and smaller corporations as those with
sales less than $400 million.
The study dened large PR agencies as those with fee income in
excess of $5 million; mid-size, $1 million to $5 million; and small
with less than $1 million. Here are the salaries found.
TABLE 22.1 THE MARSHALL CONSULTANTS 1999
COMPENSATION REVIEW
SPECIALIST
Consumer products
Healthcare
High tech
LARGE CORP.
MEDIUM CORP.
SMALL CORP.
$66,000
$79,500
$80,900
$54,200
$70,700
$68,700
$41,500
$61,500
$62,000
The IABC and PRSA Prole 2000 Compensation Survey
In 1999, the IABC and PRSA conducted a study of the salary and
compensation of 40,000 professionals represented by the two organizations. The ndings, published in June/July 2000, reected a composite of both IABC and PRSA respondents. Here are some of the
results of the study.
TABLE 22.2 SALARY BY JOB CLASSIFICATION
TITLE
Writer
Account executive
Sr. account executive
MEDIAN
AVERAGE
$45,000
36,500
50,000
$50,000
36,000
48,000
SALARY BY INDUSTRY
TITLE
MEDIAN
AVERAGE
Medical/health care
Association/nonprot
Consulting rm
Public relations
46,000
42,000
61,000
62,500
$79,500
50,000
79,650
123,500
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SALARY (AVERAGE) BY GENDER, ACCREDITATION STATUS
Accrediteda
Not accredited
MALE
FEMALE
$89,500
88,000
$82,500
56,500
Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) is the designation for those successfully passing IABCs accreditation exam. Accredited Public Relations (APR) is
the designation of PRSA.
Council of Public Relations Firms Salary Survey
In October 2000, the Council of Public Relations Firms conducted a

compensation and benets survey. Here are the results.
The council also noted that entry-level salaries in public relations
rms ranged from $25,000 to $40,000, depending on location and
specialty. New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., paid the
highest, as did the high-tech, health care, and nancial specialties.
The council also pointed out that the industry offers the most
advanced benets, investment programs, and training and tuition
reimbursement opportunities. Public relations rms are generous with
benets, quality-of-life enhancements, and bonuses, even for junior
staff.
TABLE 22.3 AVERAGE SALARIES BY NUMBER OF YEARS IN INDUSTRY
YEARS
1.3
2.7
4.4
6.2
12.3
13.9
16.1
Average $29,000 $36,400 $47,500 $59,500 $80,900 $129,700 $174,200 $219,800
OVER 20
$275,600
A Young Public Relations Professionals Day
Again, the Council of PR Firms has furnished us with valuable inside

information, this time the actual work day of a PR professional at a
large counsel rm. It hastened to add that there is no such thing as a
typical day, and, of course, all clients have different needs.
Background: 2 years experience.
Education: BA (History major, Psychology minor).
Position: Account executive, New York ofce of an international
public relations rm.
Clients: Major beverage brand, pre-IPO Internet company, New
York ofce of a French law rm.
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8:30 a.m. Check wire services, Internet, newspapers, and magazines for client stories.
9:00 a.m. Call/e-mail clients to report news coverage and coordinate days activities.
9:30 a.m. Conference call with Paris-based agency colleague and
law rms expert on new French law regulating U.S. biotech
companies producing genetically engineered foods.
10:00 a.m. Call reporter at The New York Times to persuade
her to interview law rms biotech expert and New York ofce
partner on new strategies for U.S. biotech rms seeking to do
business in France.
10:30 a.m. Draft a press release and media list to announce
Yahoo.com partnership for Internet client and submit draft
to account supervisor for his review.
11:30 a.m. Review new product launch plans with beverage
client and their advertising agency.
Noon. Lunch meeting at Web design rm to review Internet promotion and college campus sweepstakes sponsored by beverage brand.
2:00 p.m. Return calls from reporters: The New York Times
will interview law rm partners, The Industry Standard needs
information on Internet client, and Advertising Age inquired
about Internet college contest.
2:30 p.m. Call Internet client to obtain data necessary to respond
to The Industry Standard; send contest details and Web page
design to Advertising Age call reporter to provide additional
information about the beverage brand strategy.
3:00 p.m. Incorporate account supervisors changes into Internet
company press release and post on newswire; call InfoWeek
reporter to discuss news and propose interview with vicepresident of business development about Yahoo partnership
before publications deadline tomorrow; and provide talking
points to Vice President of Business Development.
4:00 p.m. Respond to calls from two high-tech publications,
providing details on Yahoo partnership announcement.
4:30 p.m. Conference call with Internet company human
resources director to discuss impending layoffs; client public
relations ofcer and agency account team discuss sharing
responsibilitiesclient will handle employee communications and agency will communicate with the media and
investors.
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5:00 p.m. Discuss biotech story with New York law rm partner; send e-mail to Paris, setting time for phone interview
tomorrow with The New York Times and providing sample
questions and answers.
5:30 p.m. Attend welcome reception for new staff.
6:00 p.m. Head home.
Working on three accounts, this account executive must do a balancing act. Clients often feel underserved in such situations. The keys
to success are persistence, creativity, and establishing relationships
with the media that can be mined for other clients.
GOING TO WORK FOR A TOP PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRM
It is hard to get hired at a top public relations rm, but the situation
has changed in many respects. For one, advertising is losing dollars
as corporations nd that they can accomplish their objectives more
effectively and at lower costs with public relations.
As a result, there are more jobs at business corporations and other
organizations, or at one of the large PR rms, which pay higher
salaries than smaller agencies. They also have internships and training
programs, and some include opportunities to work abroad. We offer
here a general look at jobs at a number of top PR rms.
Fleishman-Hillard
Among the many advantages in working for this number one U.S. PR
rm is an ongoing professional development curriculum. The program
includes training sessions, company-wide meetings and events, the
support of all the rms 49 ofces in 16 countries worldwide, and
interofce collaboration.
You can make it into Fleishman-Hillards internship program as
a college junior or senior or as a recent college graduate. As an
intern, you will be involved in all types of projects, including research,
writing, event coordination and stafng, media pitching, and brainstorming. Internship candidates must have at least a 3.0 grade point
average. The rm favors applicants who have excellent writing and
critical thinking skills, as well as a commitment to the challenge of
public relations.
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The internship selection process includes interviews with a team of

account professionals plus a writing exercise. Send your resume with
a writing sample to the intern program coordinator and say at which
Fleishman-Hillard ofce you would like to intern.
Once hired at Fleishman-Hillard, you will receive a comprehensive
benets package that includes health coverage, nancial incentives,
employee assistance, and a sabbatical program.
Burson-Marsteller
Whats it like working for the worlds largest PR rm, an organization

with more than 2,000 professionals in 35 countries? For answers, I
sought out Mischelle Leathers, the rms human resources director.
What is the best college training for someone choosing a PR career?
While public relations courses are helpful, we have also found that
the best training includes courses and extracurricular activities that
strengthen written and verbal communications skills. Experience working in a team-oriented environment is also very helpful. We also look
for someone with a wide range of interests that demonstrate intellectual curiosity.
What is the extent of Burson-Marstellers internship and scholarship
program?
The Harold Burson Summer Internship (HBSI) program is a 10-week,
paid internship at one of Burson-Marstellers U.S. locations. Each intern is assigned to a client team, or specialist group, guided by an experienced professional. Interns have the opportunity to do real work
while learning our proprietary perception management methodology
and other critical communications skills. Representatives from different areas of the company conduct seminars for interns during the
course of the summer. Interns are grouped into teams to work on a
special HBSI project, which they present to a senior management panel
for review. By the end of the summer, interns will have been exposed
to some of the challenges and opportunities facing our clients and
our company. As part of the annual Harlem YMCA Black Achievers
Award program, Burson-Marsteller offers scholarships to high school
students who are entering college. In some cases, we offer scholarships
to students who are already attending college.
Burson-Marsteller has a 6-week Discovery Journal and the B-M
Learning Center for new people. How are they implemented?
Each region of the world has translated and localized information
in the Discovery Journal, which is a 6-week, self-paced orientation
program. The Discovery Journal as well as other online courses and
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materials can also be found on the Learning Center Web site. Some
courses require management approval due to related costs. Other
courses have no fee attached and may be taken by employees who
may need specic training in order to move to the next level.
What technology training does Burson-Marsteller offer for new
employees?
New employees receive instruction on desktop applications as well
as on InfoDesk, the company intranet. In addition, all employees are
given access to briengs on technology and the impact of technology
on public relations, and those colleagues who are working with clients
in the technology sector are giving ongoing training as relevant.
In hiring, do you favor people with MBAs or those with communications and journalism backgrounds?
It depends greatly on the level of seniority and practice/specialization.
For the most part, Burson-Marsteller favors candidates who have journalism and communications backgrounds, but it depends on what
business we are stafng. A business background is far more attractive
for the corporate practice (although here again, an MBA is valuable
but not required). Our employee population boasts a wide variety of
backgrounds and academic credentials, which adds to the diversity of
experience and expertise we are able to offer our clients.
What qualications do you look for in an A-list candidate?
Burson-Marsteller looks for candidates with superior writing skills,
strong client focus, intellectual curiosity, self-sufciency, and strong
business skills (growth and development). The more senior the level,
the more important prior public relations agency experience and the
ability to lead and develop teams become.
What do you think is the advantage in working for a PR rm over
working in public relations for a client organization?
Clearly the most obvious advantage is the diversity of client assignments, and the role you can play as an outside expert.
What is the typical career path of a new Burson-Marsteller
employee?
Based on motivation and professional competence, a variety of experiences awaits new employees. Individuals can enter Burson-Marsteller
at any level of seniority and take on increasing levels of responsibility
within their original area of specialization; across a range of practice
groups; across types of roles such as client leadership and key areas
such as knowledge and insights; and in different parts of the world in
telecommunications or e-business.
What does a Burson-Marsteller team look like?
Every client has a clearly dened client leader, who assembles teams
based on the demands and opportunities of the client assignment. The
client leader invariably reaches into a variety of practice groups to
assemble the best team.
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Which practice areas have the most opportunities?

Our industry and our company in particular are all enjoying signicant growth opportunities. All our practice groups and specialist
teams offer opportunities to learn and advance.
Where do you look for new people?
We nd candidates through employee referrals, Internet sites, associations specic to the open position, local schools; media outlets, trade
associations, networking, news releases, and PRSA.
In the rst edition of this book, I wrote that 75 people in BursonMarstellers U.S. ofces speak at least two languages, and that the staff
of the rms European ofces is 99% bilingual, with more than half
speaking at least three languages. What are the respective numbers
today?
Currently, 260 people in Burson-Marstellers U.S. ofces speak at
least two languages and the European ofces are 99% bilingual, with
approximately 60% speaking at least three languages.
A 1999 Marshall Consultants study concluded that account executives at PR rms in New York City earn $ 42,200 on consumer products
accounts and $56,000 on high-tech accounts. In Los Angeles or San
Francisco the corresponding gures are $31,200 and $49,700. Do you
agree with these results, and do they prevail at a Top Ten PR counsel
rm such as Burson-Marsteller?
Our titles do not exactly correspond to traditional agency designations, but this seems generally accurate.
Do you attract talented people by paying them more money up front
than your competition, or do you make clear to them that theyll make
more money and receive promotions faster than at other
rms?
Neither. We attract them by offering them the best career assignments and opportunities for professional growth; we keep them by
living up to that commitment, which involves rewarding and recognizing them for the contributions they make.
In hiring people for New York, how do you help them survive when
a walk-up on the Lower East Side can cost $1,500 a month?
We generally suggest that there are other great places to live outside
of the city with a reasonable commute.
Ten years ago, a top PR person said that the best-paid people
are those whove mastered the skill of helping to engineer wins in
Washington. Is this still the case?
Not necessarily. A great deal of importance is placed on our ability
to represent our clients interests in Washington, but we place equal
value on those professionals who in other ways provide our clients with
the best in strategic, integrated communications counseleffectively
implementedin order to help achieve the business results they seek.
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Most of the 10 largest PR agencies we cover in this chapter offer

similar recruiting advantages. Check them out carefully when you
apply for employment. Burson-Marsteller has an online applications
center where you can submit your resume.
Weber Shandwick International
In chapter 4, we wrote about Miller/Shandwick Technologies, the

parent rms technology arm. Here are excerpts from an article in the
companys promotional literature by Jodi Boyle, a Miller/Shandwick
account executive, based in New York:
My supervisor has encouraged me to jump right in and try all aspects of
client work, including writing releases, meeting with the clients, and
pitching the media. I doubt that other agencies would have allowed
me the freedom to get so thoroughly involved. The result is that I am
developing core PR skills even faster than I had imagined.
I think that the key to growth in a PR agency is trying new things,
which we do all the time. Everyone works closely together and the
senior people set a great example. When we are crunching a deadline
for a project or a presentation, titles dont mean a thing. Everyone rolls
up their sleeves and does what it takes to complete the job no matter
how long it takes.
We have the best of both worlds. We are a part of a large global
organization and yet we have a very close team that works together
in an open and supportive environment. And, best of all, we are all
friends who enjoy spending time with each other outside the
ofce.
Doesnt that say it about Weber Shandwick?
Hill & Knowlton
In a June 2000 report to all Hill & Knowlton employees, Thomas

Hoog, president and CEO, wrote proudly of the rms achievements,
with such gains as 7 accounts that billed in excess of $1 million and
12 or more who reached that level by the end of 2000.
One highlight of the CEOs report detailed the rms training, mentoring, and career pathing (a word Ill be sure to borrow.)
A condensed version of some of his comments follows:
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r The Employee Handbook was updated and more detailed training

will be given in the rst 30 days of employment.
r A new career path book would lay out initial goals between employee and supervisor, job descriptions and promotion process, performance evaluation procedures, and training programs.
r Training modules were produced through video conferencing.
r The rms Spring College was a great success. It focused on PR
skills and media in the new millennium and had outside speakers
talking about what client satisfaction and leadership mean.
Perhaps the most encouraging sign for readers is this comment
from the CEO: Hiring continues at a brisk pace in all ofces, and
our biggest problem is nding enough qualied new staff to help us
achieve all the plans we have in place.
Hill & Knowlton also attends job fairs, visits colleges, and works
with the Council of PR Firms to increase career interest in the
profession.
Edelman Public Relations Worldwide
Edelman looks for Type E personalities. What makes an E? Intellect, openness, respect for the individual, commitment to excellence,
and courage are some of these attributes. Add to this list team players
and ability to manage multiple projects.
Unlike some large PR rms where account people only work in one
or two practice areas, at Edelman staffers are involved with multiple
clients and a diverse range of assignments. Even with assignments
for a single client, Edelman people may function in employee communications, investor relations, media relations, public affairs, and
interactive communications.
We explored career opportunities at Edelman at the time of this
writing.
To qualify as an account supervisor in the health care and science and technology strategies group, the candidate needs a bachelors
degree and 5 years of experience, preferably in these specializations.
For a job as assistant account executive in the corporate reputation
group, a bachelors degree and a minimum of 2 years of experience is
required.
Edelmans internship program is open to college students completing their junior or senior year, as well as to recent college graduates and
graduate school students. Prociency in Microsoft Word is a must.
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Ketchum
Two opportunities at Ketchum stand out: Camp Ketchum, a training

program for midlevel employees offering continuing professional development, and Ketchum College, the rms global training program
held regionally to hone the skills of its employees at many levels. In
addition to the two programs, Ketchum has on-site training programs
in its ofces with courses on writing skills, media relations, and even
cyberspace.
Since the mid 1990s, Ketchum has conducted the Ketchum Boot
Camp to orient college students into the world of public relations.
There, students tackle a real client problem and experience, a program development competition between student agencies, and a
new brand image/logo for the program. Its a real-world opportunity to work with Ketchum people and even with agency clients. To
view the most current job postings, contact Ketchums local human
resources representatives and post resumes.
BSMG Worldwide
In this chapter weve written about employee training, benets, and

growth opportunities. Each of the rms offers them with some variations. BSMG has a rather unique professional development program
called Career Destinations. Its mission is to improve individual and
organization performance and deliver quality education and training
programs.
The seminars with Career Destinations are segmented into a wellrounded curriculum that includes:
r Leadership and management development.
r Agency fundamentals.
r Professional skills.
r Computer training.
r Personal development.
Courses in the seminars are led by BSMG executives, as well as
outside consultants. In their rst year, new hires are required to attend
most sessions.
Some representative program titles are:
r Presenting with Condence.
r Tips on How to Increase Client Budgets.
r New Media Technology and Its Impact.
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r Visual Media Production.

r How to Be One Step Ahead of Your Boss.
r You Can Have it All: Achieving Work/Life Success.
Public relations wont always be the hot job ticket it is in the early
21st century, but meanwhile the pickings are great. BSMG employment opportunities at this writing include dozens of offerings in six
different locations.
The rm talks of success stories. BSMGs Chicago ofce had 40
full-time employees who were once interns, 3 London interns who
became permanent staff members, and a former intern in Dallas who
became managing director.
Want to go to work for BSMG? Here are some typical recent employment opportunities at the rm:
Chicago.
Assistant account executive
Executive public relations associates
Internships (October through April)
London.
Web designer and web producer
Marketing assistants
Freelance designers and programmer
New York.
Junior associate
Associates
Account executive
San Francisco.
Account coordinator
Media relations executive
Account executive
What are the requirements for entry-level jobs at BSMG Worldwide?
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Administrative Assistant. Seeking high-energy administrative assistant for the nancial and professional services marketing group. Solid
problem-solving skills, organizational excellence, extreme attention
to details, and the ability to multitask with a sense of urgency essential. Articulate phone presence, strong administrative skills and
prociency in Word, Excel, and Internet savvy necessary. Must have
previous ofce experience and excellent communications skills. College degree and an interest in public relations or nance a plus.
Internship. These paid assignments run about 3 months. Account
projects include compiling a client clip report, media and market
research, pitching, vendor relations, writing, and editing. BSMGs
Chicago ofce has 40 full-time employees who were once interns.
A look at Porter Novellis job openings on its Web site at this writing
shows a broad mix of opportunities:
r Internships in Atlanta.
r Account executive in Chicago.
r Assistant account executive in Ft. Lauderdale.
r Account executive in New York.
r Summer internship in San Francisco.
r Social marketing in Washington, D.C.
r Human resources manager in Silicon Valley.
r Account manager in consumer technology in Singapore.
Porter Novellis acquisition of Copithorne & Bellows, a titan in
technology, makes the agency a formidable force in this key practice
area.
Ogilvy PR Worldwide
In keeping with the informality of todays ofce environment, Ogilvys

dress code allows for business casual for Monday to Thursday and
dress down on Friday.
Another attractive offering is the rms Work-Visit program.
Employees spend from 2 weeks up to 3 months in other ofces to
get to know rsthand the capabilities and skills in these locations in
order to share experiences.
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Finally, Ogilvy offers a recruitment bonus for an employee who

refers a candidate that is hired for a professional staff position.
A recent search of Ogilvy job listings came up with these choices.
Assistant Account ManagerLos Angeles. Become an integral part
of the team. Participate in media outreach, press tours, grass-roots
initiatives for companies like Listen.com and Discovery.com.
Assistant Account ExecutiveNew York. Join a fun, interesting,
and challenging womens health account.
Account ExecutiveSan Francisco. Looking for healthcare staff at
all levels.
GCI Group
GCI has a summer internship program. Apply to Sarah Garlinghouse

at Sgarlinghouse@gcigroup.com.
A look at GCIs job openings at this writing yielded these opportunities:
Account Exec/Senior Account ExecLos Angeles. Work on existing accounts. Need 2 to 3 years of experience.
Senior Account Exec, Health CareAtlanta. Need 5 to 7 years of
relevant health care experience.
Account Coordinator/Assistant Account ExecChicago. Work on
health care PR; strong writing skills needed, and an understanding of
PR strategies and tactics (preferably through previous internships or
work experience).
This can be an entry-level job for a PR major. What are the duties
of someone who gets this job? To name a few: draft news releases,
collateral materials, and business correspondence; create media lists;
and contribute to the execution of successful communications campaigns. As with most jobs like this, the rm requests a cover letter,
resume, and salary history.
For a job at this top company, contact the head individual: Dan
Relton, Vice-President of Human Resources, North America GCI
Group, 777 Third Avenue, 38th oor, New York, NY 10017. Phone:
(212) 537-8030. Fax: (212) 537-8091. E-mail: joinus@gcigroup.com.
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Brodeur Worldwide
Brodeur Worldwide is a power in technology PR. Headquartered in

Boston, it is the worlds largest public relations and communications
consultancy focused exclusively on technology-driven companies.
Although the rms broad focus is technology, it works with these
clients on traditional areas such as investor relations and other
corporate communications services. Its core communications services include online communications, product reviews, and media
relations.
Brodeur has 9 U.S. ofces and offers a global capability of more
than 750 employees in 55 ofces in 32 countries.
As do many of the top rms, Brodeur has an internship program for
college students, usually in their junior or senior year, or for graduate
students who are interested in a career in PR, marketing, corporate
communications, or journalism.
Interns work with an account team and prepare and distribute press
releases, update media and security analyst lists, coordinate press kits
and other PR materials, help organize trade shows and other events,
and more.
If interested, send a copy of your resume and cover letter to: Brodeur
Intern Coordinator, 855 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116. Phone:
(617) 587-2800. Fax: (617) 587-2828. E-mail: hresources@brodeur.
com.
At this writing, Brodeur had full-time job opportunities for account
executives with 25 years of experience. A job as an account supervisor in the rms San Jose (Silicon Valley) ofce called for 4 to 6 years
of technical PR experience.
Interested in a job with PRWEEK Magazines 1999 Agency of
the Year? Send a letter and resume to: Arlene Moynihan, Brodeur
Worldwide, 855 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116. Fax: (617)
587-2027.
LEONARD MOGELS TIPS AND SAGE ADVICE ON LAUNCHING

A CAREER IN PUBLIC RELATIONS
1. A common misconception is that during an interview you will be evaluated on the basis of your background and not on the way you present
yourself. When an interviewer rst meets you, he or she will judge you by
how you look and act. The rst impression is usually lasting. Grooming,
facial expression, and body language all affect your personal image.
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A broad, friendly smile puts across an image of trust that will serve you
well. Always look at the interviewer directly.
Watch out for nervous habits. Although you may not be aware that you
are drumming your ngers on the desk or jiggling your knee, such actions
are a dead giveaway of nervousness and a lack of condence.
2. There are ve stages to getting a job:
r Preapproachdeciding where to apply.

r Approachmaking initial contact and/or sending a resume; irtation.
r Pitchmeeting and talking; the rst date.
Once you successfully get past these stages, then its time to:
r Negotiatetalking seriously; courtship.

r Closesaying I do!
It takes 6 months.
Anyone who waits till he or she could scream has waited too long.
Learn how a company youre interested in hires. Then be politely persistent, and when youve done something new the company might be interested
in, send it there.
Most people think getting a good job is a matter of luck and timing. But
there are ways to beat luck and timing, by beating the rush.
3. What are the biggest mistakes most job applicants make?
r Not researching the job theyre applying for.

r Addressing resume package to Dear Sir.
r Poorly written letters accompanying resumes.
r Failure to clearly state what job they want and why they are
qualied.
r Gimmick or cutesy resumes.
r Calling when an ad clearly states no telephone calls.
4. If youre responding to a help-wanted ad and it says no calls, dont!

5. Keep your resume out of the wastebasket by using an effective one-page
cover letter and a one-sentence rst paragraph.
6. It is often difcult to get to the interviewer; dont blow it when you get
there. It only takes the interviewer 5 minutes or less to gain a rst impression
of the candidate. Interviewers say that about 85% of the candidates they see
should be better prepared. Bring two extra copies of your resume. Be on
time. Dress for success, but not like a fashion model.
7. You may be asked why you left your present job. Acceptable reasons
are challenge, location, advancement, money, pride/prestige, security.
8. What will your references/coworkers say about you? Ask them before
you use them.
9. If you were red, dont lie about it. Never bad-mouth a past boss.
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10. Follow up an interview with a thank-you letter within 24 hours, and

keep it to one page.
11. Dont be disappointed if youre not hired after the rst interview. In
the broadcast business, a survey found that only 1% hired applicants during
the rst interview, and 55% after the second.
12. A common mistake in interviews is to discuss salary rst, then the
job description. Ask about overtime, benets, chances for advancement, and
even parking privileges.
13. End the interview on an upbeat note. Be gracious. Leave the interviewer with a positive impression of your demeanor and personality.
14. Be yourself on an interview. Dont try to alter your personality to what
you believe the interviewer is looking for. Most interviewers are suspicious
of a candidate who comes on too strong.
15. If the interview is going well, propose another meeting to further
discuss the job.
16. If you are offered a job and the offer doesnt fulll your expectations,
dont be afraid to say, May I think about it?
17. Personnel expert Robert Half calls it Resumania, referring to the
irrelevant self-defeating comments candidates include in their resumes. Some
donts:
Please dont misconstrue my fourteen jobs as job-hopping. I have never
quit a job.
Work skills: strong on interpersonal relations, typing, ling, and reproduction.
18. In a study of top-level executives conducted by Korn-Ferry (with the
University of Southern California), it was determined that one of the single
most important traits for making it to the top was the ability to get along
with others. Thats true in life as well.
19. When you phone a prospective employer, do not open the call by
telling him/her about yourself, your resume, goals, and so on. All that information should be communicated in a brisk, upbeat cover letter, concise
resume, and an effective in-person interview. Plan your telephone call.
20. What to do if you dont get the job: Ask what you can do to be their
rst choice the next time. Ask where else you might apply. Write a thank-you
note or letter. Theyll le it with your resume.
21. Let the local college in your area be a research tool, even if you didnt
attend that school. Go to lectures and seminars to improve your knowledge
and assist you in your job pursuit.
22. Read the PR trade publications listed in chapter 21.
23. Although weve said it before, it bears repeating here: Exploit any
personal contact, whether or not the person is on top. A college friend or a
relative who works at a PR rm or in advertising at a large corporation may
be a good source for ideas and leads about jobs.
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CHAPTER 22
24. Contact your college alumni association. There you can track people
from your school who have gone to work at a company that interests you.
25. Youll probably get your rst job by cold calling, letter writing, and
networking. Make sure youre adept at each.
26. A graduate degree in business is important if you want to reach for
the gold. It may, however, be a good idea to rst work in a particular eld
and then take a leave of absence with your companys permission. Many
companies encourage this practice.
27. Be prepared, even on the rst interview, to speak to an individual at
a much higher level than the rst interviewer. At one very large publishing
company, with almost 3,000 employees, the president insists on personally
interviewing each sales candidate for an hour and a half, after he or she has
been interviewed by four or ve other people.
28. Be prepared to ask hard questions about the job and all its duties.
29. Dont be afraid to ask about perks, benets, tuition reimbursement,
and vacations.
30. When applying for a specic job, ask about the pecking order in that
department.
31. When negotiating for a job, keep your mind open and be exible. Take
note of your job priorities and be prepared to compromise on nonessentials.
32. Expect that the interviewer will go down the line on your resume and
ask specic questions about your education and previous jobs.
33. On your resume include names, addresses, and phone numbers of
two or three references. Dont say References available.
34. Be sure to list all your computer skills on your resume, particularly if
you have special desktop training.
35. Your resume should have eight parts:
r Name, address, and phone number.

r Position desired.
r Summary statement including your background; tie your immediate job hunt to your long-range career goals.
r Education.
r Practical experience.
r Professional afliations.
r Awards and honors.
r References.
And keep it concise.

36. The hiring process may include written tests in spelling, grammar, and
usage. Make sure you know the right spelling of Rwanda, Forrest Gump,
and Afghanistan, the difference between affect and effect, and the difference
between who and whom.
THE JOB SEARCH
315
37. The top media companies are in many communications businesses:

newspapers, magazines, broadcasting, and books, as well as elds closely
related to public relations. Theres a great deal of mobility for a talented
individual in these organizations.
38. Read The Wall Street Journals National Business Employment
Weekly. It lists regional as well as national job opportunities. Pick up a
copy at your newsstand.
39. Study, explore, and read about new media. Its the medium for the
21st century.
40. Check out National Public Radio for Marketplace, a nightly program with ideas and job leads. Surf the Internet for job opportunities.
41. If youre looking for your rst job, youll probably need to use an
employment agency. Once you have experience, go the executive-recruiter
(headhunter) route. You will still have to do cold calling, letter writing, and
networking.
42. Interviewing is a ne art. Some college placement ofces set up roleplaying situations to give you experience in handling an interview.
43. Before you go on an interview, do your homework about the companys products and services.
44. If you cant attend an MBA program full-time, many are given at
night, weekends, and online. It takes longer, but it will pay off in the big
picture.
45. Add to your computer training all the time. Night courses may be the
best approach.
46. Be sure to use attractive personal letterhead stationery.
47. Many companies are now conducting job interviews via video conferences. Executive recruiters use them as well. How do you think you would
fare in a video interview?
48. Some of the nest companies in an industry have paid summer internship programs. Seek them out early in your college career.
49. The top recruiting rms reject resumes fast. If you want your
resume to be taken seriously, pay attention to these two donts and one
do.
r Dont omit dates of past jobs or college degrees. It looks like

your are hiding something.
r Dont use a highly ornate, unprofessional resume. Avoid slick
paper and bright colors that may imply you emphasize appearance over content.
r Do show internal promotions. Lack of progress on a job suggests
that youre on the market because you cant get ahead in your
present job.
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CHAPTER 22
50. Where to go rst? Identify the dominant and growth-oriented companies in your geographic area.
51. If youre still in college, check out the Managing Your Career publication put out four times a year by the Dow Jones National Business
Employment Weekly.
52. Shortly after youve started a new job, plan to have a conference with
your employer to redene the objectives of your department and how your
responsibilities can help to meet those objectives.
53. On the rst day at a new job, arrive a half-hour early and plan to
stay a half-hour late. Observe communications preferences at the company:
memos, voice mail, e-mail, one-on-one, daily conferences, small group meetings, and so on. Note how people dress, how long they take for lunch. Adapt
to the style of the new job.
54. Dont discuss salary (yours or theirs) with your coworkers. Its unprofessional.
55. Remember to thank the people who were instrumental in helping you
get the job. A note or phone call is always appreciated.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I am indebted to Holland Cooke for some of the information in this

section. Unfortunately, he no longer publishes his excellent newsletter,
Broadcast News Career Monthly.
C H A P T E R 23
The Future Face

of Public Relations
THE FUTURE FACE OF PRBEYOND THE BASICS
ow that knowledge of how the Internet is used in the business

of public relations is considered an entry-level skill, what will
future PR professionals need to develop their careers? Charles
Fremes, president and CEO of Edelman Public Relations (Canada),
offered the following in an article for Strategy Magazine.
An advertising pal of mine was complaining over lunch recently about
how the list in the paper of key advisers to ONEX, Canadian Airlines,
and Air Canada included lots of public relations people, lots of lawyers
and lobbyists, but not one ad guy. He went on to lament that as
little as 5 years ago, the CEO would have lunch with the president
of his advertising agency at least once a month, just to gain another
perspective on his competition and his business. Today, he said, hes
having lunch with the PR guy or gal.
The role of the public relations practitioner in North American
business has changed dramatically over the past 5 years. This change
317
318
CHAPTER 23
has been driven by most of the same external drivers that have
affected every aspect of our lives. The ones that have had the most
impact on the public relations discipline are: the pace and application of new technology, including the virtual workplace, the increased speed of information transference, teleconferencing, satellite
media tours, and the arrival of new media, including the Internet, specialty channels, and e-commerce; the globalization of business and its
impact on competitiveness; the restructuring of corporations and governments and its impact on employees, services, and consumers; and
the rediscovery of the importance of customer service.
All of these drivers have combined to help shape the redenition of
the PR practitioners role, and the skill set required to perform and excel
in that role. In a relatively short period of time, senior public relations
ofcers of corporations and their outside counsel have been called upon
as never before to apply their analytical and strategic skills, their lateral
thinking ability, their knowledge of a business and its competition, and
their understanding of how issues become crises and how both can be
successfully managed.
The senior PR practitioner is now required to work on a crossfunctional basis to help protect and enhance corporate reputation (e.g.,
with human resources on a plant closing to sustain employee morale,
or the heads of marketing and sales to protect shareholder value and
customer loyalty on a product recall).
With these changes, in both the outside societal drivers and the PR
professionals role, has come the consensus (it must be a consensus because it is now taught in our business and management schools) that
in well-managed and respected companies, the public relations function is contributing signicantly to the overall success of the business.
PR can frequently make the difference between the perception that a
CEO is performing well and is respected by her employees, or out of
touch with the business and the work force; that a companys stock
price is under- or overvalued; that a brands equity with consumers is
about to erode or is justied through signs of a true afnity; or that
a donation to a charity or cause is perceived by employees and shareholders as important to the community and good business for the company, as opposed to a shallow attempt by a corporation to polish its
image.
But looking ahead a bit, into the foreseeable future, what will PR
and communications professionals need beyond the basics, and how
can they develop these qualities? The short answer is, I dont know;
the pace of change and the inability to truly predict the future suggests
that no one knows. But heres a cut at my seven best guesses.
THE FUTURE FACE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
319
Beyond the Basics: Seven Career Success

Factors for the PR Practitioner
1. The knowledge of the way business and government work,
the way each sector is inuenced and makes decisions, and
the way each uses its communications function to competitive
advantage.
2. The ability to analyse problems, help generate ways to x them,
and participate in and communicate their solution.
3. The knowledge of the way values, attitudes, and opinions work
and interact to inuence behavior, and how to design measurable
communications programs based on market and public opinion
research.
4. The ability to use communications to help manage change in
a manner that at least protects, if not contributes to, employee
morale and the companys reputation.
5. The knowledge of how different cultures react to communication, and how best to use communication to achieve transborder
or multinational results for an organization.
6. The knowledge of how corporate reputation inuences shareholder value, and the ability to use communications to protect
and enhance a companys reputation.
7. The ability to take complex information arriving in greater volume at a faster pace than ever before, and translate it into something that people can truly understand.
Some of these keys to success can be learned in formal courses at
the undergraduate and graduate level; others can only be mastered
through experience and learning on the job.
At Edelman, we have a mentoring program, as well as Edel-U, a
structured and continuous internal training program with curricula
offered at the junior, intermediate, and senior levels. The courses vary
from presentation preparation and delivery, to the use of the Internet
for media relations, to an intense week of learning through our International Summer School.
We use technology to deliver courses taught by our own internal
experts throughout the global network and hold regular CEO online
chats with our ofces around the world. For leadership training at the
most senior level, we have enlisted the help of an outside resource, and
are now starting to cascade this program throughout the organization
and in all of our 43 ofces.
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CHAPTER 23
Summary
The societal trends and technological advances that have driven the
most signicant changes for business and the media have affected
all of the professional services, including public relations. The PR
professional now lls a vital role in the management of successful
companies and organizations, by being brought in earlier and having
more inuence than ever before upon strategic business decisions.
With this increase in responsibility has come a need for a new set of
skills and knowledge, that go well beyond the basic accepted tools of
the PR trade. Some of these new skills and knowledge can be learned
and acquired through formal courses, others through experience, and
still others through on the job training and mentoring.
Finally, as our world becomes more and more complex and the pace
of change accelerates, the importance of clear and concise communications programs will increase, as will the need for consummate public
relations professionals to design and deliver them.
Clients will continue to benet from all of their communications
and marketing suppliers working cohesively to achieve their strategic
business objectives.
As for the ad folks, they shouldnt worry too much. They still get
the lions share of any budget, and the importance of paid media in
the marketing mix will continue. In the meantime, the advertising guys
will have to forgive those of us who work in the earned media category
if we take a moment to enjoy just a little of our time in the sun.
ENDNOTES
Chapter 2
1. Philip Lesly, Leslys PR Handbook (Worthington, OH: Publishing
Horizons, 1983).
2. John F. Budd, Jr., When Less is More, Public Relations Quarterly,
Spring 1990, p. 5.
3. Fraser P. Seitel, The Practice of Public Relations (Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Prentice Hall, 1987).
4. Ibid.
Chapter 3
1. Creativity in Public Relations Awards (CIPRA), conducted by PR
Central.
2. Leslie Wayne, Lucrative Lobbying Jobs Await Many Leaving Government Service, The New York Times, Dec. 16, 2000.
Chapter 7
1. Sunshine Janda, Not-for-Prots: A New Ballgame, PR Journal,
Jan. 1990, p. 22.
321
322
ENDNOTES
Chapter 8
1. Howard Mitchell III, What Every Account Executive Should Know
About Public Relations (booklet), American Association of Advertising
Agencies, 1989.
2. Philip Lesly, Leslys PR Handbook (Worthington, OH: Publishing
Horizons, 1983).
3. Joel Pomerantz, The Media and PR: Pride and Prejudice, PR
Quarterly, Winter 198990.
Chapter 10
1. Clout and prestige in being a speechwriter, IABC Communication
World, Oct. 1990.
2. Timothy J. Koranda, Writing Speeches with Impact, PR Journal,
Sept. 1990.
Chapter 11
1. Spheres of Inuence Grow in Washington, The New York Times,
Oct. 16, 1999, C1.
2. State of Corporate Public Affairs Survey, 19992000, Public Affairs
Council, Washington, DC.
Chapter 13
1. Paul S. Forbes, Applying Strategic Management to Public Relations,
Public Relations Journal, March 1992, p. 32.
Chapter 14
1. Bill Cantor, Experts in Action: Inside Public Relations (White Plains,
NY: Longman, 1989).
2. Cynthia Clark, What Every Public Company Must Know About
Disclosing Information, The Strategist, Fall 2000, p. 32.
3. Stephanie Zschunke, The Annual Report: Corporate Compass,
Reputation Management, June 2000.
4. Managing the Annual Report, Public Relations Journal, August 1992,
p. 24.
Chapter 15
1. Bernard Weinraub, Gatekeeper to the Stars, The New York Times,
May 3, 1999, p. B1.
2. Catherine Seipp, The puppet masters, The American Journalism
Review, Oct. 1999, p. 22.
3. Daniel Akst, Legendary Hollywood Flack Ready for Next Starring
Role, Los Angeles Times, June 30, 1992.
ENDNOTES
323
Chapter 16
1. Melody Petersen, Pushing Pills With Piles of Money, The New York
Times, Oct. 5, 2000.
2. Chris Adams, FDA Scrambles to Police Drug Ads Truthfulness. Wall
Street Journal, Jan. 2, 2001.
3. Don Hyman, Pharmaceuticals: Balancing the Demands of Diverse
Publics, Public Relations Journal, Oct. 1990, p. 22.
Chapter 17
1. Bill Cantor, Experts in Action: Inside Public Relations (White Plains,
NY: Longman, 1989).
2. Otto Lerbinger, The Crisis Manager (Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates, 1997).
Chapter 18
1. Laurie Freeman, From the basement to the penthouse, Advertising
Age, Sept. 25, 2000, p. 40.
Chapter 22
1. Robert Half, Is Your Resume a Joke, Managing Your Career, Spring
1997, p. 19.
2. How to Use the Internet to Choose or Change Careers (New York:
Kaplan/Newsweek 2000).
3. Douglas Newsom, Scott A., Van Slyke Turk, J., This is PR: The Realities
of Public Relations, 5th ed. (Wadsworth, 1993).
4. How to Use the Internet to Choose or Change Careers (New York:
Kaplan/Newsweek 2000).
5. Donald Asher, How to Earn a Promotion in 12 Months or Less, Dow
Jones Managing Your Career, Spring 1997.
6. David Kirby, Finessing Interviews: Dont Ask, Do Tell, The New York
Times, Jan. 30, 2001, p. E2.
7. Katie Sweeney, Dot.Com Frenzy Fuels Red-Hot Job Market, Tactics,
Oct. 2000.
8. Donald Asher, How to Earn a Promotion in 12 Months or Less, Dow
Jones Managing Your Career, Spring 1997.
9. The 50 most powerful women in PR, PRWEEK, August 9, 1997,
p. 16.
10. Marshall Consultants 1999 Compensation Review.
GLOSSARY
Account executive: The individual employed by a PR rm, corporation, or organization charged with the general responsibilities of coping with present problems and anticipating future ones. These duties
often encompass media relations and new products and may also include monitoring trends, organizing trade shows, and arranging press
tours.
Accredited Business Communicator (ABC): Granted by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). An accreditation for high achievement and competence in business communication
management.
Accredited in Public Relations (APR): A title conferred by PRSA, the
Public Relations Society of America, designating that the individual
is accredited in public relations, in having completed written and
oral examinations and served at least 5 years in this eld.
Ad-Pub: In the movie and entertainment business, refers to the department responsible for advertising, promoting, and publicizing a
lm or theatrical production.
324
GLOSSARY
325
Advisory: An announcement or notice that serves to advise the media

of the holding of a press conference. May also be used as a guide for
securing media credentials for an event.
Advocacy: falls into the general sphere of issues management and
may involve the relationship of a corporation or organization to its
community, and include issues of contributions and volunteerism.
Angle: Also known as slant, peg, or hook. It relates to the point
of view from which a release or news story is written, to interest a
particular audience.
Audio conference: The modern counterpart of the old telephone
conference, but today is considered an element of teleconferencing. A
conference coordinator usually makes the arrangements.
Backgrounder: A brieng or report for the purpose of providing
background information on a governmental agency, organization, or
corporation.
Beat: The particular news source or activity covered by a reporter or
correspondent in the media.
Branding: Relates to a corporation or other organizations effort to
maintain the primacy of its image identity and reputation.
B-rolls: Used in broadcast and online. It is raw video footage, not
scripted, about a new product, development, or even a competition
and must be edited before use.
Byliner: The recognition received by the writer of an article in a
newspaper or magazine.
Case history: Refers to the relevant information or material gathered
about an individual, group, or company.
Cause-related marketing: A promotional technique in which a company is linked with a nonprot organization, a public service, or
another cause.
Change management: The setting of objectives, strategies, and policies as to where an organization wants to go and how to get
there.
Chat forums, chat rooms, and sites: Media relations tools often
used to reach the new E-uentials.
CIPRA: Creativity and Excellence In Public Relations Awards. Given
annually by PR Central for outstanding achievement in various practice areas.
Clip book: A collection of stories in the media about a client. Usually
maintained by a PR rm.
326
GLOSSARY
Clipping bureaus: Research services that measure print and electronic press coverage.
Community relations: The practice area that encompasses a corporation or other organizations activities in education, philanthropy,
and culture.
Components: Also referred to as practice areas. They include health
care, public affairs, technology, public interest, and media relations.
Computer-aided research: Accesses the Internet for information
about a corporation or other group, or its publics.
Consumer affairs: Addresses the subjects of consumer attitudes and
purchasing practices. Also deals with product marketing and safety
issues.
Convergence: A most powerful and evocative word that describes
the technology-driven changes revolutionizing every aspect of the way
business is done across the world.
Corporate communications: The department responsible for many
activities within the organization. May include strategic planning,
resource allocation, employee communications, public affairs, community development, government relations, event management, and
issues management.
Crisis communications and management: The practice of PR that
deals with an organization, corporation, or government agencys response, tactics, and communications when a crisis or disaster strikes.
Crisis dark site: A template that is plugged into a Web site during a
crisis in order to provide immediate access for the media and other
publics.
Databank services: The uses of computerized collections of information.
Daybook: A listing of upcoming news-making events fed by wire
services, such as AP and UPI, to broadcasters and other media. PR
people feed the events and items to the wire services.
Desktop videoconferencing: The transmission of charts, documents,
and other stationary visuals.
Development: In fund raising, the cultivation of prospective donors.
The fund-raising executive at a university or other organization is
called the development director.
Diversity marketing: The marketing of goods and services to minority groups.
Double planting: The unethical practice whereby a media relations specialist sends the same exclusive to more than one news
source at the same time.
GLOSSARY
327
E-commerce: New technologies and capabilities to create nancial
portals and Web-enabling businesses, and implementing more Internet payment options.
Electronic media monitoring: Used by PR people to monitor
TV, radio, and wire services coverage. This service is often provided
by the same companies that monitor press clippings from print media.
Electronic press kit (EPK): A video presentation containing graphics
and other information about a lm, product, or service.
E-mail: A means of conveying messages, information and news electronically to various media sources.
Employee communications and relations: The strategic PR practice
that communicates issues, events, programs, and changes within an
organization.
Exclusive: A piece of news sent to a newspaper or other medium,
along with the privilege of using it rst.
Fact sheet: A listing or statement of details about an individual or
group, often included in the press kit sent to the media.
Flacks: The disparaging term once used for press agents. The name
derives from Gene Flack, an old-time movie publicity agent.
Image building or image program: Advertising and other techniques to enhance goodwill or achieve other objectives, not directly
to promote or sell.
Integrated communications: Public relations, advertising, direct
marketing, promotion, and other disciplines coordinated through a
single planning system.
Integrated marketing: Combines advertising, public relations,
and other activities in a coordinated strategy using messages and
media.
Interactive marketing: A practice most often employed by a PR
counsel rm for a client. Its functions include site submission, campaign, search engine positioning, must-see Web animations, and
viral e-mail campaigns.
International Association of Business Communicators (IABC): The
professional association for public relations professionals and other
communicators.
Internet conferencing: A conference set up over the Internet where
everyone talks to each other on their regular telephone.
Internet marketing: A leveraging of the Internet to create identities
and build brands.
Interviews: The most often used technique in public relations for a
dialogue or conversation between an individual, perhaps a CEO, and
328
GLOSSARY
a member of the media for the purpose of press coverage. Interviews

are also used for focus-group research.
Intranet: The online tool that serves as a communications link within
a large organization.
Investor relations: The practice that deals with a corporation or
other organizations nancial communication with its publics.
Issue backgrounder: A media relations technique that explains to
the media all the facts about an issue.
Issues communications and management: The practice that falls
within the purview of public affairs departments, primarily in corporations, but in other organizations as well. It deals with matters
affecting the corporation in the present and potentially affecting it in
the future.
Lobbying: A strategy that involves interaction between an organizations representatives and government ofcials. Often it takes the
form of inuencing legislation or, in some cases, introducing new
legislation affecting the organizations interest.
Media alert: An announcement of a media event, speech, or presentation.
Media analysis: The evaluation of the available media sources for a
campaign, or the results of a media effort.
Media brief: A specic announcement sent to the media about a
speech or presentation.
Media database: A computerized directory of individuals and departments within the media to whom publicity solicitations are made.
Media kit: A packet of material containing information about an
organization, publication, network, or even a TV show.
Media relations: The vital function of public relations dealing with
the preparation and identication of news and information for use in
the press and other media.
Media training: The educational process for those who face the media frequently to learn good communications technique, including
subjects such as message development, speech and presentation skills,
and media simulations.
New media: The broad term that encompasses high tech, the Internet,
interactive communications, CD-ROMs, and online publishing.
Online media: The afnity sites, webzines, activist sites, and other
online communities applied in media relations practice.
Pitch: An oral or written solicitation by a PR person on behalf of a
story or event.
GLOSSARY
329
Placement: The acceptance and appearance of a news item,

feature story, or other release in a newspaper, magazine, or broadcast medium. Also relates to getting ink.
Position paper: A detailed, written statement about a single political
or other issue that articulates a position, viewpoint, or policy.
PR rm or PR counsel rm: An organization retained by a corporation, organization, or individual to assist its clients in marshaling public relations and public affairs resources. In this respect, it is
involved in both planning and execution.
Practice area: The specialization of public relations practice, such
as public affairs, crisis management, health care, or media relations.
Press agent: A term often used negatively in public relations to refer
to individuals whose approach is solely to gain favorable publicity or
media attention in almost any way possible. Used frequently in the
entertainment industry.
Press conference: The coming together of heads of corporations,
organizations, and individuals with the press regarding news developments.
Press kit: A package of media tools that may include a press release,
advisory, booklet, backgrounder, speech reprint, and press clippings.
Press release: Also called news release. Serves as a guideline for the
media for their suggested coverage of a situation, event, or news story.
Public affairs: The practice of public relations that deals with lobbying, issues management, grass-roots activity, advocacy, and government relations.
Public interest service: The public relations component that encompasses community relations, corporate philanthropy, corporate image, and social responsibility.
Public policy: The position of a corporation or other organization
on issues or policies. Is considered an adjunct of public affairs.
Public Relations Society of America (PRSA): The leading professional organization for PR practitioners.
Public speaking training: The skills, techniques, and nuances of
delivering speeches, interviews, and press conferences.
Publics: The entities whose attention is sought by a corporation,
individual, governmental agency, charitable organization, and others.
Rapid-response Web site: In crisis situations, this dark Internet
site downloads to go live and is designed to centralize and control
information ow, providing immediate, accurate, and comprehensive
information.
330
GLOSSARY
Reputation management: Also known as image management. It

refers to an organizations or corporations continuing efforts to protect its reputation.
Satellite media tours: Where a CEO or other spokesperson is interviewed in a single location by many TV and cable broadcasters.
Silver Anvil: The coveted annual award bestowed by the PRSA for
excellence by practitioners in various practice areas.
Social marketing: The efforts of a corporation to promote social
issues and other initiatives.
Special events: A PR strategy used to expose a large, visible, and
inuential audience to a product, an issue, or an individual.
Spin: The term most often used in journalism for the manipulation
of public perceptions. Also relates to image xing.
Spin doctors: The purveyors of spin.
Spokesperson: A person designated to speak for another or for a
group.
Stakeholder: A term used synonymously with a public. Relates
to an individual or group that impacts on a corporation or other
organization.
Strategic communications: The focusing and directing of a corporations or organizations public relations and marketing plans involving its internal problems, future opportunities, customer concerns,
employee relations, and public opinion.
Talking points: Facts, features, or short sentences that sum up an
organizations position on the issues. Used often by a spokesperson
in accenting or highlighting an issue.
Video news release (VNR): A news release transmitted to TV stations via satellite or videotape, or for use online.
Vision, mission, and values: A standard for large organizations to
evaluate their reputation and image.
Webzine: A Web magazine that may also serve as an organizations
employee publication.
REFERENCES
Chapter 1
1. Tye, L., The Father of Spin: Edward L. Bernays & The Birth of
Public Relations (New York: Crown) Book review in Columbia
Journalism Review, Nov./Dec. 1998, p. 67.
Chapter 2
1. Nolte, L. W., and D. L. Wilcox. (1979). Fundamentals of Public

Relations (Elmsford, NY: Pergamon).
2. Lesly, P. (1983). Leslys PR Handbook (Worthington, OH: Publishing Horizons).
3. Budd, Jr., J. F. When Less is More, Public Relations Quarterly,
Spring 1990, p. 5.
4. Seitel, F. P. (1987). The Practice of Public Relations (Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Prentice-Hall).
5. Projected Growth of Public Relations, U.S. Dept. of Labor, in
2000 Occupational Outlook Handbook.
331
332
REFERENCES
Chapter 3
1. Creativity in Public Relations Awards (CIPRA) 1998, conducted

By PR Central.
2. Wayne, L. Lucrative Lobbying Jobs Await Many Leaving Government Service, The New York Times, Dec. 16, 2000.
3. Ad for Philip Morris Companies, The New Yorker.
4. Philip J. Webster, Whats the Bottom Line?, PR Journal, Feb.
1990, p. 18.
5. Article on Coca Cola, The Wall Street Journal, Oct. 17, 2000.
Chapter 4
1. Council of Public Relations Firms, 2000 Industry Ranking, U.S.

Revenue Breakout.
2. Award-winning campaigns of Ten Largest PR rms from various
Silver Anvil winners, conducted by the Public Relations Society
of America (PRSA) annually. Also, CIPRA (Creativity and Excellence in Public Relations Award, presented annually by Inside
PR, a New York publication.
3. Much of the research for this chapter was supplied by the ten
largest PR rms and accessed from their Web sites.
4. Interpublic Group to Acquire True North Communications,
The New York Times, March 20, 2001, p. C1.
5. Is Flack Whacking Good Public Relations?, The New York
6. PR on a Roll, Advertising Age, Oct. 2, 2000.
7. The 100 Most Inuential PR People of the 20th Century, PR
WEEK, Oct. 18, 1999.
8. PR Gains Revenueand Some Respect, Advertising Age,
March 12, 2001.
9. A Chill Hits Madison Avenue, The Wall Street Journal, March
19, 2001.
10. Why did PR Firms Have Their Best Year Ever?, Advertising
Age, March 24, 1997.
11. The Agency of the Decade, The Wall Street Journal, March 2,
2000.
12. Burson Runs for Olympics, Advertising Age, Sept. 11, 1990.
13. A Good Man to Know in a Crisis, The Times, London, Aug.
16, 2000.
14. PR Plans: IPG Revamps, Advertising Age, Sept. 25, 2000.
REFERENCES
333
15. Every Spin Control Couldnt Lighten 91, Crains New York
Business, March 23, 1992.
16. Whos Who in Agency Healthcare PR, PR WEEK, Oct. 30,
2000.
17. The E-gang, Forbes, July 26, 1999.
18. Whos Hot and Whos Not, Inside PR, Winter 1999.
19. The eESTABLISHMENT 50, Vanity Fair, May 2000.
Chapter 6
1. Facts About the Corporation. www.bankofamerica.com.

2. Bank of Americas Global Financial Markets Outlook, Mar./Apr.
2001.
3. Bank of America Foundation Annual Report 2000.
4. Bank of America Summary Annual Report 1999.
5. Bank of America Summary Annual Report 2000.
Chapter 7
1. Annual Report 1999, Newspaper Association of America (NAA).

2. Presstime, publication of NAA, various issues.
3. Web site of the American Psychological Association (APA): www.
apa.org.
4. Janda, S., Not-for-Prots: A New Ballgame, PR Journal, Jan.
1990, p. 22.
5. CIPRA 2000 Competition, Dept. of Health, Administration for
HIV/AIDS campaign.
Chapter 8
1. Mitchell III, H., What Every Account Executive Should Know

about Public Relations, American Association of Advertising
Agencies (booklet), 1989.
2. Program Guide, Public Relations World Congress 2000.
3. American Heart Association press release, Nov. 13, 2000.
4. Lesly, op. cit.
5. Mitchell III, H., American Association of Advertising Agencies,
What Every Account Executive Should Know about Public Relations (booklet), 1989.
6. Pomerantz, J., The Media and PR: Pride and Prejudice, PR
Quarterly, Winter 198990.
334
REFERENCES
7. Weiner, R. (1996). Websters New World Dictionary of Media

Communications (New York: Macmillan).
8. Ruberry, B., E-mailing Media: A Primer, Public Relations
Tactics, May 2000, p. 6.
9. Ogilvy Public Relations Practice Book (booklet), Ameritrade
Case history.
10. Soaring with Sabre, Vollmer PRs CIPRA 2000 entry.
11. Howard J. Rubenstein interview from Creating Your Career
in Communications and Entertainment by Leonard Mogel,
(Sewickley, PA: GATF Press, 1998), p. 242.
12. The Worlds Fastest Press Conference, Meltzer & Martin Public Relations for client Sprint Business, CIPRA 1998 Awardwinner.
13. Jay Kordich press tour, ABA Newswire, April 1992.
14. Peter Pitts on effective communications. PRSAs The Strategist,
Winter 2001.
15. Mike Lynch, American Medical Association, interview.
16. Tips and Tactics from the Media Relations Insider, premiere
issue.
17. American Heart Association press release, Nov. 13, 2000.
Chapter 9
1. A Tank Rolls Through CNN Before Merger, The New York

Times, Dec. 4, 2000.
2. Bobo, C., Gaining Support For a Strategic Emphasis On Employee Communications, Tactics, Feb. 2000.
3. Khan, J., Internal Communications: Ensuring Strategy and Measurement Coexist, Tactics, Feb. 2000.
4. Davis, A., Communicating Change in a Brave New Way,
Tactics, July 2000.
5. Solution Engineering Case Study. We Are One, Boxenbaum
Grates PR, 1998.
6. The Boeing-McDonnell Merger. CIPRA 1998.
7. Bank of America Employee Bonus, PR Journal, Nov. 1990.
8. The e-IBMer, CIPRA 1999.
9. Diverse Service and Industrial Companies Use Innovative Employee Communications, PR Journal, Nov. 1990.
10. Reaching Out to the TV Generation, PR Journal, Nov. 1990.
11. Creating a Shared Focused Future, Edelman PR Worldwide,
Silver Anvil 2000.
REFERENCES
335
12. Face to Face Communication at Navistar, Matha MacDonald

PR, CIPRA 2000.
Chapter 10
1. CEO speechwriters median salary, PR Journal, Feb. 1990.

2. Clout and prestige in being a speechwriter, IABC Communication World, Oct. 1990.
3. The Executive Speaker Philosophy, program, www.
executivespeaker.net.
4. Spalding, J., Speech Writers in the Thick of It, IABC Communication World, Oct. 1990.
5. Koranda, T. J., Writing Speeches with Impact, PR Journal,
Sept. 1990.
6. Francis, C., How to Stop Boring Your Audience to Death,
Speech delivered to the New York chapter of the International
Association of Business Communicators (IABC), Sept. 20, 2000.
www.executivespeaker.net.
Chapter 11
1. Utilities Hire Ex-Chairman of G.O.P. to Avert Suits, The New

York Times, June 6, 2001.
2. Public Affairs Review, 2000 Journal of the Public Affairs Council.
3. Creating a Digital Democracy (Foundation for Public Affairs).
4. Cyber Activism, published by the Foundation for Public Affairs.
5. Spin Doctor to the World, Los Angeles Times Magazine,
Nov. 24, 1991.
6. Detroits Ace in the Hole, TomPaine.com.
7. Experience Your America, Ogilvy PR Worldwide for National
Park Foundation.
8. American Association of Political Consultants, Mission Statement.
9. Campaign 2000: Media Money, Columbia Journalism Review,
Sept./Oct. 2000.
10. Stopping the Government Takeover of the TAV. CIPRA 2000.
Burston-Marsteller PR for the Tennessee-American Water Company.
11. Public Affairs Council Services. www.pac.org.
12. Public Policy Government Affairs. www.naa.org.
13. Spheres of Inuence Grow in Washington, The New York
Times, Oct. 16, 1999, C1.
336
REFERENCES
14. Drug Lobby Wins Big With Massive Spending Against Medicare
Plan, The Wall Street Journal, Dec. 15, 2000.
15. Lucrative Lobbying Jobs Await Many Leaving Government
Service, The New York Times, Dec. 16, 2000, p. A11.
Chapter 12
1. Getting the Message From Eco-Terrorist, The New York

Times, Jan. 8, 2001.
2. Microsoft Faces 3 Suits Alleging Racial Bias, Los Angeles
Times, Jan. 3, 2001.
3. AT&T Foundation. Learning Network. www.att.com.
4. IBM Corporate Community Relations. www.ibm.com.
5. Philip Morris family of companies, ad for BAM 2000 Next Wave
Festival, The New Yorker, Oct. 9, 2000, p. 3.
6. Philip Morris family of companies for Artist Reborn Lee Krasner,
Brills Content, Oct. 2000.
7. Philip Morris family of companies, ad for National Network to
End Domestic Violence Fund, The New York Times, Oct. 29,
2000.
8. University of Michigan job offering for Development Ofcer.
www.umich.edu.
9. Arching Into Education Scholarship Program, CIPRA 2000 for
McDonalds New York Tri-State Owners.
10. Get the Helmet, Bike Helmet Safety Campaign. Silver Anvil
Award 2000. Category: Public Service. McDonalds Corp. with
Golan/Harris PR International.
11. AOL Foundation. Silver Anvil Award 2000. Category:
Institutional Programs. AOL Foundation with FleishmanHillard PR.
12. At $112 a night, the homeless arent the only ones paying a high
price. Ad in The New York Times, Nov. 24, 2000, p. C2.
13. Targets Take Charge of Education campaign. Target with
Martin/Williams PR.
14. MasterCard International campaign, Are You Credit Wise,
CIPRA 2000.
Chapter 13
1. EPSON Stylus Color 740i Product Launch. Silver Anvil

2000 Award. Category: Marketing Consumer Products. Epson
America, Inc., with Walt & Company Communications.
REFERENCES
337
2. Microsoft Exec Stays Focused. Advertising Age, Oct. 9, 2000,

p. S24.
3. Burston-Marsteller PR Practice Prole. www.bm.com.
4. The WingspanBank.com. Female Finance Factor. Silver Anvil
2000 Brand Development entry. WingspanBank.com with Ogilvy
Public Relation Worldwide.
5. Rubin, B., Campaign Opens Door to Safety Issue, Public Relations Journal, Feb. 1991, p. 28.
6. Edmondson, J., Come Together: Why Integrated Marketing
Works, Tactics, Jan. 2000.
7. Forbes, P. S., Applying Strategic Management to Public Relations, Public Relations Journal, March 1992, p. 32.
8. Publishers Clearing House with Rogers & Cowan PR. Silver Anvil
2000. Category: Marketing Consumer Sources.
9. The National Cattlemens Beef Association with Ketchum PR.
Silver Anvil 2000. Category: Integrated Communications.
10. Marken, G. A., Corporate ImageWe All Have One, But Few
Work to Protect and Project It, Public Relations Quarterly,
Spring 1990, p. 21.
11. Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide Corporate Practice (booklet).
12. United Airlines, ad in The Wall Street Journal, April 22, 1997.
13. Target ad in The New York Times, Nov. 12, 2000.
14. Burson-Marsteller website: www.bm.com/expertise/mergers.
Chapter 14
1. General Electric Buying Honeywell In $45 Billion Deal, The

New York Times, Oct. 23, 2000, p. A1.
2. The Changing Relationship Between IR and PR, Inside PR,
Sept. 1998.
3. Cantor, B. (1989). Experts in Action: Inside Public Relations
(White Plains, NY: Longman).
4. Chase Hopes Deal for Morgan Will Bring it Prestige, The New
York Times, Sept. 14, 2000, p. C1.
5. Fund Bolsters University Ideas, The Los Angeles Times, Dec.
18, 2000, p. C1.
6. Clark, C., What Every Public Company Must Know About
Disclosing Information, The Strategist, Fall 2000, p. 32.
7. Tribune Company, 1999 Annual Report.
8. Zschunke, S., The Annual Report: Corporate Compass, Reputation Management, June 2000.
338
REFERENCES
9. Nike Annual Report Shows Company Still has Sense of Humor,

Inside PR, August 1998.
10. Managing the Annual Report, Public Relations Journal, Aug.
1992, p. 24.
Chapter 15
1. Weinraub, B., Gatekeeper to the Stars, The New York Times,

May 3, 1999, p. B1.
2. Seipp, C., The puppet masters, The American Journalism
Review, Oct. 1999, p. 22.
3. Akst, D., Legendary Hollywood Flack Ready for Next Starring
Role, Los Angeles Times, June 30, 1992.
4. Fearn-Banks, K. (1996). Crisis Communications, (Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates).
5. Collins, S., Hollywoods PR People, Los Angeles Times,
Dec. 26, 1995, p. D1.
Chapter 16
1. Petersen, M., Pushing Pills With Piles of Money, The New York
2. Hyman, D., Pharmaceuticals: Balancing the Demands of Diverse
Publics, Public Relations Journal, Oct. 1990, p. 22.
3. Rosenblatt, J., Some Doctors See Scare Tactics in Devices PR,
The Wall Street Journal, Aug. 2, 2000.
4. Full-page ad for Sudafed and Benadryl: The New York Times,
Nov. 12, 2000, p. 25.
5. Information about American Psychological Association (APA).
www.apa.org.
6. Americas Awakening with Eli Lilly. CIPRA 2000. Eli Lilly &
Co. with Chamberlain Communications Group.
Chapter 17
1. The Columbine Tragedy. Silver Anvil 2000. Rick Kaufman for

Jefferson County Public Schools.
2. Cantor, B., Experts in Action: Inside Public Relations, op.cit.
3. Fearn-Banks, K., Crisis Communications: A Casebook Approach,
op.cit.
4. Lerbinger, O. (1997). The Crisis Manager (Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates).
5. Crisis Odwalla with Edelman PR. Silver Anvil 1997.
REFERENCES
339
Chapter 18
1. Freeman, L., From the Basement to the Penthouse, Advertising

Age, Sept. 25, 2000, p. 40.
2. Beyer, A. F., Eight Hallmarks of a Great High-Tech Agency
Hire, Tactics, June 2000.
3. Weiner, R., Spotlight On: Conferencing Techniques: Audio,
Video and Internet, Tactics, June 2000.
4. Pitching Online Media, Media Relations Insider, Nov. 2000,
p. 1.
Chapter 19
1. Dennis Wilcox, Survey of West Coast Employers.

Chapter 20
1. Public Relations World Congress 2000 Program Guide.

2. Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). Various materials.
www.prsa.org.
3. International Association of Business Communications (IABC).
Various materials. www.iabc.com.
4. The Council of Public Relations Firms. Careers in Public Relations (booklet). Various materials. www.prrms.org/student.
5. The Institute for Public Relations. www.instituteforpr.org.
6. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (AEJMC). www.aejmc.org.
Chapter 22
1. Special Report: Recruiting and retaining the most competent

professionals, The Strategist, Fall 2000, p. 7.
2. A Students Guide to Public Relations Education 2000, Council
of Public Relations Firms, Princeton, NJ.
3. Milkereit, J., Want To Be in Public Relations?, Tactics, March
2001, p. 15.
4. Half, R., Is Your Resume a Joke, Managing Your Career, Spring
1997, p. 19.
5. Yale Daily News Guide to Internships 2000 (New York: Kaplan
and Simon & Schuster, 1999).
6. Stromp, S., Resumes and Cover Letters, live online discussion
on www.washingtonpost.com, Nov. 15, 1999.
7. Eaves, E., Job Sites Deliver Too Muchand Too Little,
Los Angeles Times, May 4, 2000.
340
REFERENCES
8. How to Use the Internet to Choose or Change Careers

(New York: Kaplan/Newsweek 2000).
9. Brust, P., Convincing Interviewers to Bite, Managing Your
Career, Spring 1997, p. 28.
10. Kirby, D., Finessing Interviews: Dont Ask, Do Tell, The New
York Times, Jan. 30, 2001, p. E2.
11. Greenberg, K., Student Interns Get Real-life Experience, and
sometimes a job, Public Relations Journal, Dec. 1991, p. 7.
12. Gaschen, D., with Bohle, S., From Backpacks To Bill Gates,
Tactics, March 2000.
13. Sweeney, K., Dot.Com Frenzy Fuels Red-Hot Job Market,
Tactics, March 2000.
14. Howard, C. M., Skills You Need to Expand Your Counselor
Role, Tactics, Oct. 2000.
15. Asher, D., How to Earn a Promotion in 12 Months or Less,
Dow Jones Managing Your Career, Spring 1997.
16. The 50 Most Powerful Women in PR, PRWEEK, August 9,
1999, p. 16.
17. Marshall Consultants 1999 Compensation Review.
18. The IABC and PRSA Prole 2000: A Survey of the Profession.
19. Council of Public Relations Firms October 2000 Salary Survey.
20. A Young Public Relations Professionals Day, from Careers in
Public Relations, booklet (Council of Public Relations Firms).
Chapter 23
1. Fremes, C., The Future Face of Public Relations, Strategy

Magazine, revised April 19, 2001.
RECOMMENDED READING
Austin, Erica Weintraub, and Bruce E. Pinkleton. 2001. Strategic

Public Management, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence E. Erlbaum.
Baskin, Otis W., and Craig E. Aronoff. 1988. Public Relations: The
Profession and the Practice, 2nd ed. Dubuque, IA: William C.
Brown.
Bivins, Thomas. 1991. Handbook for Public Relations Writing.
Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook Company.
Cantor, Bill (Chester Burger, Ed.). 1989. Experts in Action: Inside
Public Relations, 2nd ed. White Plains, NY: Longman.
Cormier, Robin A. 1995. Error-Free Writing: A Lifetime Guide to
Flawless Business Writing. Alexandria, VA: EEI Press.
Council of Public Relations Firms. A Students Guide to Public Relations Education. New York.
Cutlip, Scott M., Allen H. Center, and Glen M. Broom. 2000. Effective
Public Relations, 8th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Detz, Joan. 1992. How to Write and Give a Speech. New York:
St. Martins Press.
Doty, Dorothy I. 1990. Publicity and Public Relations. Happauge,
NY: Barron.
341
342
RECOMMENDED READING
Ewen, Stuart. 1998. PR! A Social History of Spin. New York: Basic
Books.
Fearn-Banks, Kathleen. 1996. Crisis Communications. Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Goodwin, Richard. 1988. Remembering America. Boston: Little
Brown.
Grunig, 1992. James E. Excellence in Public Relations and Communications Management. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates.
Grunig, Larissa A., Elizabeth Lance Toth, and Linda Childers Hon.
2001. Women in Public Relations. New York: The Guilford
Press.
Kelly, Kathleen S. 1998. Effective Fund-Raising Management.
Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Koten, John A. 1997. The Handbook of Strategic Public Relations
and Integrated Communications. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Ledingham, John A., and Stephen D. Bruning (Eds.). 2000. Public
Relations as Relationship Management. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates.
Lerbinger, Otto. 1997. The Crisis Manager. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates.
Marlow, Eugene. 1996. Electronic Public Relations. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth.
Mitchell, Howard. 1989. What Every Account Executive Should
Know About Public Relations. New York: American Association of Advertising Agencies.
Mogel, Leonard. 1998. The Magazine: Everything You Need to Know
to Make It in the Magazine Business, 4th ed. Pittsburgh: GATF
Press.
Mogel, Leonard. 2000. The Newspaper: Everything You Need to
Know to Make It in the Newspaper Business. Pittsburgh: GATF
Press.
Montgomery, Robert, and Peter J. Pitts. 1998. Become Strategic or
Die. Indianapolis, IN: MZD Publishing.
Nagelschmidt, Joseph (Ed.). 1982. Public Affairs Handbook. New
York: Amacom.
Newsom, Douglas, Alan Scott, and Judy Van Slyke Turk. 1993. This
Is PR: The Realities of Public Relations, 5th ed. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth.
Newsweek Inc. and Kaplan Inc. 2000. How to use the Internet to
Choose or Change Careers.
RECOMMENDED READING
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Noonan, Peggy. 1991. What I Saw at the Revolution. New York: Ivy
Books.
Public Relations Society of America. 1999. Careers in Public Relations: Practical Information to Help you Land Your First Public
Relations Job. New York: Public Relations Society of America.
Rayeld, Robert, J. D. Pincus, and J. E. Knipp. 1991. Public Relations
Writing: Strategies And Skills. Dubuque, IA: William C. Brown.
Reilly, Robert T. 1987. Public Relations in Action, 2nd ed. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Seitel, Fraser P. 1998. The Practice of Public Relations. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Simon, Raymond, and Joseph Zappala. 1996. Public Relations Workbook: Writing & Techniques. Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Publishing
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The State of Corporate Public Affairs. Public Affairs Review.
Vivian, John. 1997. The Media of Mass Communications, 4th ed.
Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Weiner, Richard. 1990. Websters New World Dictionary of Media
and Communications. New York: Simon & Schuster.
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Writing. New York: Harper & Row.
Wilcox, Dennis L., Phillip H. Ault, Warren K. Agee, and Glen T.
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Yale Daily News. 2000. Yale Daily News Guide to Internships 2000.
New York: Kaplan and Simon and Schuster.
This Page Intentionally Left Blank
AUTHOR INDEX
About.com, 268
Account executive, 12
Accredited Business Communicator
(ABC), 13, 248, 249
Accredited in Public Relations (APR),
12, 13, 246
Activist sites, 81
Advertising agencies and PR rms,
similarity between, 10, 24
Advocacy group, PR for, 6364
Afnity sites, 81
AJR Newslink, 269
Alexander Ogilvy Public Relations
Worldwide, 4042
America Online, (AOL), 2728,
100101
American Heart Association (AHA), 70
American Journalism Review, 184
American Medical Association (AMA),
14, 9499
American Psychological Association
(APA), 6162
Andersen, Kurt, 94
Annual reports, reports, 1920,

174178
AOL Foundation, 2728
Associated Press, 70, 98
Association for Education in Journalism
and Mass Communications
(AEJMC), 239, 252
Audio conference, 235
Baker, Winokur, Ryder, 41, 184
Bacons Media Directory, 269
Bank of America Foundation, 5557
Bank of America, 5, 4959, 104
Bank of America, corporate affairs,
5055
Barrons, 165
Bauer, Eddie, 154155
Beeper interview, 84
Bernays, Edward L., 2, 3
Bloomberg Financial Markets, 165
Blue Book, The, 245
Bohle, Sue, 286289
Boyle, Jodi, 305
345
346
AUTHOR INDEX
Brills Content, 140

Brodeur Worldwide, 37, 311
B-roll, 76
BSMG PR Worldwide, 25, 26, 3637,
170, 197, 233, 307309
Bulldog Reporter, 89, 258259,
236, 262
Bulldog Reporters Media Relations
Insider, 84
Burson-Marsteller PR, 10, 16, 25,
3033, 77, 162, 170, 193194, 230,
292, 302305
Cantor, Bill, 166, 217
Careers in Public Relations, 250
Cause-related and social marketing, 141
Celebrex, 189190
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 227
CNBC, 79
CNN, 79, 100
Columbine Crisis Communications
Response Team, 206
Communication World, 248, 262, 265
Community relations, 17, 138140
Convergence, 233
Cooke, Holland, 316
Copithorne & Bellows PR, 40, 233
Corporate advertising, 159162
Corporate information, 269
Corporate media relations, 15
Council of Public Relations Firms, 24,
45, 249251, 271, 273, 299
Cover letter, 276
Cowan, Warren, 179
Crises and celebrities, 186
Crises, dealing with, 220
Crises, most frequent types, 215217
Crises, other prominent, 218
Crisis communications and
management, 6, 2122, 205206
Crisis communications, 186, 204
Crisis dark site, 227
Crisis management, when it fails,
217218
Crisis planning and recovery, 21
CW Online, 248
Dateline NBC, 202203
Designated Market Area (DMA), 88
Don, Juliet, 59
Dow Corning, 219

DuPont, 175
Edelman PR Worldwide, 25, 26, 3435,
80, 108111, 154, 170, 185,
195196, 222228, 231232, 270,
306307
Edelman PR (Canada), 317320
Editorial board visits, 98
Educational association or institution,
PR for, 62
Effective Fund-Raising Management,
143, 147
e-IBMer, 106107
Electronic news clips, 98
Electronic press kit (EPK), 181
Employee communications, 104
Employee communications, relations
and, 1516
Employee publications, 1516
Entertainment public relations, 20
Entertainment Publicists Professional
Society (EPPS), 182
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), 211
Excite, 269
Exclusives, 85
Exclusivity factor, 74
Executive Speaker, The, 16, 114
Experts in Action: Inside Public
Relations, 166
Exxon Valdez crisis, 218219
Fearn-Banks, Kathleen, 186
Feinstein Kean Healthcare, 41
Financial public relations, 1920
Flack(s), 1112
Fleishman-Hillard PR, 25, 37, 133134,
157, 170, 194195, 230, 301
Fogelman, Alicia Beyer, 234
Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
5, 17, 189190, 197, 227, 219
Foundation for Public Affairs, 128, 130
Francis, Charles, 117
Fremes, Charles, 317
Gates, Bill, 145146
GCI Group, 310
GCI Healthcare, 194
General Electric, 163165
Getting the ink, 15
AUTHOR INDEX
Golin/Harris International, 25, 4243,

234
Government agency, public relations in
a, 6465
Graduate programs in public relations,
241242
Green Book, The, 245
Haldane, Bernard Associates, 277278
Half, Robert, 276
Healthcare, marketing and
communications, 21
helping.org, 2728
Heyer, Steven J., 100
Hill & Knowlton PR, 45, 2526, 30,
3234, 79, 192193, 220222, 231,
292, 305306
Hits, 81
How to Use the INTERNET to Choose
or Change CAREERS, 283
Howard, Carole M., 289290
Hyman, Don, 191
IABC/PRSA compensation survey,
248249
IdeaBank, Inc., 117
Image building, 17
Industry association, PR for, 60
Inside PR, 111, 165166, 176
Institute for Public Relations, 252
Integrated communications, 1819
International Association of Business
Communicators (IABC), 13,
247248, 262
International Public Relations
Association (IPRA), 39, 244,
246, 252
Internet conferencing, 235
Internet Wire, 165
Internships, 285
Investor relations, 1920, 165, 169
Investor relations, how practiced at top
public relations rms, 168
Investor relations, role of, 173
Issues management, 1617,
123124, 129
Janda, Sunshine, 64
Kaufman, Rick, 206
Kelly, Kathleen S., 143144, 146
347
Ketchum PR, 25, 26, 3739, 151152,

157158, 196, 232, 307
Kingsley, Pat, 180, 184
Koranda, Timothy J., 116
Kuczynski, Alex, 149
Leathers, Mischelle, 302
Lee, Ivy, 2
Leslys PR Handbook, 5
Lexis-Nexis, 268
Lifestyle Media Relations Reporter,
258, 260, 262
Lobbying and lobbyists, 1617,
123127, 134137
Luce Online, 268
Lukaszewski, James E., 214
Mad corn disease, 210
Managing Your Career, 283, 291
Manning, Selvage & Lee PR, 197199
Marken, G.A. Andy, 158
Marketing and Services Media
Relations, 15
Marshall Consultants, 297298
McGraw-Hill, 102
Media briefs and alerts, 15
Media drops, 15
Media relations director, 12
Media Relations Insider, 236237, 263
Media relations, denition of, 1415,
Media, relationship with stars, 183
Merck, 189190
Mission Foods, 211214
Morgan, J.P. and Co. merger with
Chase Manhattan, 170171
Movie business public relations, 180
Multicultural affairs, 145
MyKGN, 39
National Cattlemens Beef Association
(NCBA), 151152
National Investor Relations Institute
(NIRI), 166, 173
National Lampoon, 291
NBC Nightly News, 212
Neihaus Ryan Wong PR, 236
New media and high tech public
relations, 22
New York Universitys Summer Institute
in PR, 240
Newsom, Doug, 281282
348
AUTHOR INDEX
Newspaper Association of America

(NAA), 6061
Nonprot organizations and PR, 144
Nonprot sector, 144
Nonprots, The Top Five Myths
Regarding Nonprots, 146147
Odwalla apple juice recall, 222228
Ogilvy PR Worldwide, 5, 25, 26, 30,
4042, 65, 106, 152154, 160,
169170, 184, 192, 234, 310
Olsen, Liza, 292
Omnicom, 24
On Deadline: Managing Media
Relations, 289
Online Public Relations, 268
Personal public relations, 20
Petersen, Melody, 189
Pharmaceutical Research and
Manufacturers of America (PhRMA),
135136, 197
Pharmacia, 189190
Philip Morris Companies, 18
Philip Morris, corporate image, 140
Pinkham, Douglas G., 129
Pitts, Peter J., 91, 212214
PMK PR, 180
Political action committees (PACS), 128
Porter Novelli Convergence Group, 233
Porter Novelli PR International, 25, 26,
37, 3940, 143, 158, 194, 309
PR (public relations) relationship to IR
(investor relations), 165166
PR Agency Insider, 258, 261, 262
PR components, specializations,
practice areas, 22
PR counsel rms, denition of, 910
PR counsel rms, ranking of, 2425
PR Infonder, 268
PRNews, 12
PR Newswire, 266
PR people, many faces and titles of,
6667
PR Power, 245
PR programs at other organizations,
6566
PR Reporter, 266
PR specialist, functions of, 9
PR Week, 262, 264, 292
PR work force, size of, 7
PR, job of, 6

PR, number of college students, 78
PR, other job titles, 12
Practice areas, 14
PRCENTRAL, 15, 106, 201
Press agent, 11, 186
Press releases, 15, 19
Press tours, 20
Professional organization, PR for, 61
Professional Voice, The, 115
Prole 2000, 248
PRPlace, 268
PRSA Counselors Academy, 245
PRSA Professional Practice Center, 245
PRSAs Anvil Awards, 246, 247
PRWEEKs Thirty Under Thirty, 36
Public Affairs Council, 128129, 137
Public Affairs Review, 132
Public affairs, 1617, 123124
Public interest, public service, 17, 138
Public relations and fund raising,
relationship of, 143144
Public relations, 50 most powerful
women, 292
Public relations for diverse
organizations, 60
Public relations in movie business, 180
Public Relations Journal, 66, 104,
178, 191
Public Relations Quarterly, 158
Public Relations Society of America
(PRSA), 12, 28, 37, 59, 66, 101, 134,
144, 146147, 205, 243246, 281
PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGIST,
THE, 245, 247, 256257
Public Relations Student Society of
America (PRSSA), 8, 246, 272
Public Relations World Congress
2000, 244
Public relations, components of, 14
Public relations, concerns of, 6
Public relations, director of, 12
Public relations, personal, 186
Public relations, similarity to
advertising, 44
Public relations, tools of, 6
Public relations, what it is, 5
Public(s), 56, 8, 63
Publications, employee, 106
Publications, in-house at Bank of
America, 5154
AUTHOR INDEX
Publicist(s), 11, 20
Publicist, personal, 180181
Publicist, unit, 180181
Publicists Guild, 182
Publics, balancing the demands of
diverse, 191
Publishers Clearing House, 149151
Ragan Communications, 266
Rapid Response Web site, 221
Red Book, The, 245
Religious groups and charitable
organizations, public relations for, 64
Religious PR Handbook, 64
Reputation Management, 17, 174176
Research & Forecasts, 297
Rogers & Cowan PR, 28, 149150,
185186
Rogers, Henry, 179, 185
Rubenstein, Howard J., 8285,
187188
Ruder Finn PR, 286, 291, 297
Satellite media tours, 15
Satellite press tours, 182
SBC Communications, 131134
Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC), 177
Seipp, Catherine, 184
Seitel, Fraser P., 8, 115
Shandwick Public Relations, 25, 125,
185, 195, 231
Silver Anvil Award, 28, 35, 108, 134,
149, 205206, 222, 230, 232
Social Marketing, cause-related, 141
Southwest Airlines, 175176
Spaeth Communications, 212
Spaeth, Merrie, 212214
Speech writer, chief executive, 16
Speechmaking, 115, 117122
Speechwriting, 16, 113117
Speechwriting, researching for, 116
Spin, spin doctors, 12
Spokesperson(s), 12, 64, 186
Stakeholders, examples of, 8
Stanulis, Ed, 115
Strategic corporate public relations,
1819
349
Strategic marketing campaigns,

other, 157
Strategic public relations, 148149
Strategy Magazine, 317320
Straughan, Dulcie Murdock, 239
Stromp, Steve, 277278,
Students Guide to Public Relations
Education, A, 271
Style, Steven Group, 4548
TACTICS, 101, 146, 210, 234235,
245, 254256, 274, 286, 289
Tele-press conferences, 15
Time Warner, 100101
Tips and sage advice from Leonard
Mogel, 311316
Tools of employee communications,
105106
UCLAs public relations Program, 241
Video as employee communications
tool, 107
Video news release (VNR), 15, 108
Videoconferencing, 235
Vioxx, 189190
Virtual Crises, The, 221
Weber Shandwick PR Worldwide, 25,
2830, 305
Websters New World Dictionary of
Media and Communications,
124, 141
Webzine, 106
Weiner, Richard, 124, 235
Weinraub, Bernard, 184
Welch, Jack, 164
West Coast Public Relations Jobs, 297
West, John, 188
Wilcox, Dennis, 242
WingspanBank.com, 152154
Wired World, 212
Women in public relations, 291292
Yale Daily News Guide to Internships
2000, 276
Zschunke, Stephanie, 174175

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MAKING IT IN

LAWRENCE ERLBAUM ASSOCIATES, PUBLISHERS

This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2008.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

ISBN 1-4106-0285-0 Master e-book ISBN

At rst it was, Do we need to write another book? But then

We met Linda Bathgate of Erlbaum Associates at an Association

Richard W. Edelman, Dana Grossman, Mark Bennett, and Barbie

A Very Short History of Public Relations

Public Relations: What It Is, What It Does

The Components of Public Relations

The Public Relations Counsel Firm: Proles

Life on the Fast Track at a Small Public Relations Firm

An Inside Look at Corporate Affairs at

Public Relations for Diverse Organizations

Getting the Ink: Media Practice, Media Placement,

Internal and Employee Communications, Employee

Speechwriting, Speechmaking, and Executive

Public Affairs, Lobbying, and Issues Management

Public Interest, Public Service

Strategic and Integrated Public Relations

Financial Public Relations and Investor Relations

Entertainment and Personal Public Relations

Healthcare Marketing and Communications

Crisis Communications and Management

New Media High-Tech Public Relations

Colleges, Extension Programs, and Summer Institutes

The Alphabet Organizations of Public Relations

Important Publications, Web Sites, and News Services

The Job Search

The Future Face of Public Relations

hen and now. I was a novice printing salesman canvassing the

A Very Short History

THE ROBBER BARONS, RAKING THE MUCK, AND BEYOND

A VERY SHORT HISTORY OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

ill & Knowlton, one of the worlds premier public relations

PUBLIC RELATIONS: WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT DOES

We can already gain a sense of the widespread diversity of PR

WHAT IS PUBLIC RELATIONS?

The foregoing are examples of PR in action. We discuss many more

The Concerns of Public Relations

The Tools of Public Relations

In carrying out the PR function, the industry calls on many peripheral

PUBLIC RELATIONS: WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT DOES

Film and video productions

According to the most recent report of the U.S. Bureau of Labor

PUBLIC RELATIONS: WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT DOES

THE FUNCTIONS OF A PR SPECIALIST

Whether working for a corporation, an organization, or a PR counsel

The PR function is carried out at two levels. At a corporation,

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ADVERTISING AND PR

Advertising and PR are related, but there are denite differences.

PUBLIC RELATIONS: WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT DOES

PR counsel rms attract some of the best and brightest university

PR: A TWO-WAY STREET

PR professionals spend a great deal of their time on placementsthat

DONT CALL THEM FLACKS:

In the introduction I referred to Richie Roberts as a press agent.

about his or her clients. On Broadway, there is even a press agents

The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has almost 20,000

PUBLIC RELATIONS: WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT DOES

n this book we deal with 11 components, or practice areas, of

Media relations is one of the dominant functions of public relations.

THE COMPONENTS OF PUBLIC RELATIONS